Streaks
Streaks of buffer on the paper
To communicate,
Streaks of light on the quartz
To analyze,
Streaks of bacteria on a gel
To separate.
Surrounded by lines building boundaries
I sneak and squeeze
Towards the end of each
Where the pot of gold lies.
Coffee 2
Dubious on the outcome of the day,
I turn to my cup for reassurance
and inspiration.
Natural deep liquid of magic properties,
reveal me my future
or only the next step
not to stumble or turn in circle
but to move forward
impatient as you make me.
Surprise protein
The time spent planning and polishing details
is nothing against the odds of scientific research.
The controllable is mysterious
and your plan is just a forecast
of your protein’s behavior.
Predicted and overanalysed
still surprises you in the lab
when the unexpected happens and adrenalin is needed
to find the solution
to a confusing situation.
Fog
White thick fog surrounds me
In my circular walk
looking for silence and solitude.
My batteries recharge
And the fog reminds me it’s the season of rest.
In the fog I hide my fears, my worries and my inadequacies
as no reason I have to keep them.
Philosophy
A new philosophy arises
On the way to work,
On my expectations and demanded achievements.
Not every day is a success
And IÂ sip frustration even more often
But I will keep on working
And approach this desk everyday
because tomorrow is coming
And I am so curious.
Monday 2
Subtle subtle, Monday approaches
With smooth slippers and warm tea
In its hands.
Behind your shoulders it whispers
Worth a weak voice
That always catches yours mind.
It will be Monday tomorrow,
But a sunny Monday.
Corridor
Explore the corridor
With a peaceful mind
Open to encounters and discoveries.
Pace your time
Rejecting the hurry the system imposes
Creates room for a new stream of adrenalinic challenges.
Sun
Yearning silence and a thoughtless mind
I closer my eyes and feel the sun
On my tired old face.
It is a moment only
The one I strive for
Of warmth and cleanliness
Inside.
Immediate
Under the pillow,
Above the shelves
The recipe for personal time is missing.
How to find that special moment?
How to make it last?
Breathe and think about the sun,
Nothing is in between
And nothing needs an immediate action
Unless you want it.
Dynamics
Still and on the limit,
As a drop of clear dense water
Hanging and considering
The way to fall
I observe the dynamics around me
and question myself with no shyness or reserve
Knowing that no answer is needed.
Paint brush
Think about tomorrow
Push your imagination forward
Towards what is possible,
You read it somewhere,
And turn your desired into an image.
Stand up and find your brush
Your paint and your invisible mantle
And start to make it happen.
One inch every day.
Stairs 2
A stream of endorfins
Sweeps me away
When I glance the results.
Enough to make the day
Precious
Although at the first step
Of the longest stairs.
Career and life.
Sleep-talking
Sleeping with wide open eyes
Not to interrupt or ridicule the speaker
Is a skill to acquire.
No Nobel prize lecture
Can defeat the early afternoon
Deep thinking.
Microarray scanner
Staring at colourful images
I spend my day
In the visual investigation
Of proteins’ behaviour.
Colour intensities turn responses
To biological meanings
Under the powerful sight
Of a lens.
Lab
Sunny yet cold outside
The lab is a warm hug
Where all tools rest in place
ready to jump up
And follow my idea.
Attraction
Shiny as polished
Glassware waits for me
And the colourful protein solutions
Of today.
Swimming and swirling
In their soup
Proteins arrange and interact
Like people in crowded squares
Showing uncontrollable attraction.
Forecast
Research Planning is forecasting
What shines on that crucial moment
When your hands start moving
And your mind keeps quiet
For once
To follow the steps of the protocol
You wrote.
Justification
Great ideas do not need justifications
In an ideal world
We belong to,
But too far away
From the research world.
Pro and cons of my possible next brilliant step
Crowd my head
While I have to invent also
The next ideal justification.
BrushStrokes
Details are in the corners
And in the last strokes of the brush
To complete the aquarello
When nobody is watching.
Sitting at the desk
The many experiments transform
Fusing in a single story
Whose last slow details
Make me feel unique.
Synthetic biology
Hit after hit
The pathways are built
With their different speed
And gates.
Easy to simulate and assemble
Control is the art.
Fear 2
Clicking frantically
While daydreaming of the perfect experiment
I release the fear of missing out
And of wasting time
Pursuing hypotheses
Of no value.
Chessboard
The squares of a chessboard
Assemble in my head
and rank equally important
Yet necessary and unique.
Experiments to answer doubts
And to move a bit the border of knowledge
Take my day
And fill my heart.
Window
Tired
Of hearing the’ you can do it’
The’ women can do everything’
But have to struggle more.
Annoyed
By those who give it for granted
And just enjoy your result
Laying on their desk.
Running
Among the comments and assumptions
For my present and my future.
Happy
Of leaving the window a bit open
And enjoying the fresh wind of opportunities.
Lottery
Pick a paper and read what expects you
The wheel of fortune spins
And kicks you to the road.
Few moments to pick up your bags
And gather your uniqueness
To join the lottery of being an adult.
Fish in a bowl
Taking the risk
and jumping straight ahead
While the others watch you
Like an accelerating fish in a bowl
Makes my day, and even my week.
Stream
Opinions are heard
And slowly bent
By those who hold the power
While the stream of information
And initiative never stops.
Share
We all share passions
And eyes looking forward
Although staring at personal shiny targets.
We all share goosebumps
When the future is a tunnel
And its length unknown.
We all share a special hug
That keeps us warm when loneliness strikes.
We will all share our special talent
And hold on.
Night
Such a long night
Waiting for that line of light
That brings pink and blue shades to the ordinary.
Romanticism and hope
Are long searched for
In flowers and hugs
In events and faces
When cheap and powerful
Only they disclose if
Unexpected.
Monday 2
I take a walk
And hope it lasts so long
As Monday is quickly coming
And I am not ready
For its routine and vanity.
Corner after corner
I prolong this escape
And enough fresh air sinks in
To survive the shock of tomorrow.
Significant
Why do they hide,
The significant values?
Digits of no importance repeat
And vary with no logic
While I chase them
And they
Like rebellious sheeps
Refuse to assemble
And form the truth.
Perspective
Looking from far
Makes all people small
And turns problems into dark speckles
While giving hope to the tired heart.
Cramps
Warm hands with experience
Move and drift
And my skin forgets
And my mind takes off
To the place where it should always be
At the right distance
From tears and cramps.
