UK research

UK research? It isn't really a thing
At least, not in the way you're probably thinking
Nor in the way certain politicians like to portray
When they talk about UK research leading the way

So why does the phrase "UK research" leave me irked?
Well, when I consider all the different departments I've worked
I reflect on the wonderful diversity of colleagues of mine
Which collectively create the research these politicians find

While we have our biases, and we need to do better in many ways
There are men and women, old and young, straights and gays
But, importantly for this point I'm trying to probe
I've known wonderful people from all over the globe

Who all contribute, with different background and philosophies
Each adding different drops of water to the academic seas
Collaborating, discussing, debating, preaching
Helping us make leaps for things we'd never otherwise be reaching!

I will give credit, for the many UK-based funds and grants
That work in tandem with others to help our work advance
But here's the ground truth in case you haven't realised it before
The reason UK research is so good is because it stretches beyond our shore

Glass

You may be glass
    But glass is stronger than you think

We were taught glass is fragile
We all have seen it break
 
You see yourself being fragile
You know how easily you break

But glass is also strong
In many different forms
In many different ways

It is hard to compress
It is hard to stretch
It is also beautiful

You may be glass
       But you are stronger than you think

The Perfect Brothers

The brothers wished to be perfect
Thomas, Tommy and Tom
Unlike most of us, they got their wish
And so their problems begun

***

Thomas was the eldest of the three
He was perfect, but also proud our Thomas
So he sought the company of a perfect partner
And frankly he would accept nothing less

So he searched and he searched
Able to woo any person he met
Successful every time with the perfect line
But he hasn't found romance yet

All he encountered were the rest of us schmucks
Flawed in almost every way
Blessed with perfect persistence, Thomas continued his quest
And continues in fact to this day

***

Tommy was fun, the middle kid
Always the most popular in a crowd
Enjoyed a laugh or battle of wits
Would seek any attention he was allowed

Soon he found himself the alpha
With people laughing at his every quip
No battle of wits was a challenge
No listener's attention would ever slip

Tommy soon came to realise
That his old tricks had lost their thrill
When you're guaranteed perfection
The craftwork needs no skill

***

Tom was the youngest in many ways
He followed Thomas and Tommy
He saw their highs, and then their lows
And thought "So what's the solution before me?"

Thomas searched for someone else
Who could match up to who he now was
Tommy struggled to adjust
To people who would cheer him, just because

Tom thought long, Tom thought hard
How can a perfect person find purpose?
What is a life without our flaws?
Am I doomed like dear Tommy and Thomas?

***

Tommy and Thomas opened the old classroom door
Seeing Tom for the first time in years
Trying not to interfere with the lecture
They took a seat and opened their ears

"Remember, teachers of the future
Why it is we do what we do
Yes, you improve by teaching others
That is certainly true"

"Yet even the master, with nothing to learn
Can find joy in helping another in their path
It can be frustrating, it may be slow
Watching them take one step, then back another half"

"You must put your trust in their progress
Though I know that is a scary thing
To let them falter as they learn to walk
To hear them stammer as they begin to sing"

"One day, on a distant wonderful day
You will realise they have become your peer
Then, celebrate and rest.
 For a new student will soon appear"

Tom dismissed the class, walked to the back
Took both his brothers in his reach
"Welcome dear brothers, new students
Do not worry, let me begin to teach"


***
***
***

This was inspired by a writing prompt at https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/lav9pu/wp_perfection_is_boring_you_never_thought_much/, about a person being granter their wish to be perfect. I tried to reflect on what a perfect being could do to find purpose. And I wanted to write about how a perfect being could interact with imperfect people. The first brother seeks an equal, something impossible in the circumstance. The second seeks superiority through competition, which one would surely find lacking. The final realises seeks to elevate others, which I found the most fulfilling of options.

You are still worthy

Here is a great secret, if you promise not to tell
A secret that They Who Know guard very well
One which is counter to all the lies they feed
An antidote for the pressure that make us want to recede

You, yes you, don't have to be an extraordinary individual
Even if you don't end up being an athlete or intellectual
You are still worthy of love, of compassion, of kindness
You are a human. You are flawed and you are blessed.

You have the potential to do earth-shattering things
To shape the future that the universe brings
One day you may end up soaring through the stars
Maybe you'll write a best seller or design self-driving cars 

But maybe you don't want to. Maybe that fills you with stress.
Well, if that is the case, don't let that fill you with duress.
Don't give in to the dissatisfaction they want you to invent
If living a simple life would otherwise make you content

We need staple foods in life as much as we need treats
We need simple forest paths and old cobbled streets
We need a "how are you" as much as lectures and prose
You are still worthy, no matter where you life goes

You can be extraordinary. If you want to. That fact is still true.
But the more radical thing is that you are worthy, just by being You.