Al-Chemists

Lynn White

Still they try to find it,
the secret of eternal youth,
searching out lotions and restorers
for the men with their toupees,
and the creams and fillers
for the women's made-up masks.
When that fails
the nip and tuckers,
the stretchers and smoothers
are ready to apply their trades.

Like the alchemists of old searching
for the secret of turning base metal to gold
and the source of the fountain of youth,
the new commercial al-chemists
are searching for the potions,
that will transform
the heavy leaden flesh of age
back to the bloom of its youth.

They know we’re also searching,
searching,
searching,
endlessly searching
magic and science,
as we get older
and older still.

For the fountain of youth remains elusive,
but not all the alchemists are dead.

The Science

Though the alchemists failed in their quest and have sometimes been blamed for postponing the scientific revolution in Chemistry, they did nonetheless, establish the principle of research and experimentation which forms the basis of modern Chemistry and laid the foundations of procedures such as separating refining, distilling and fermenting which are still valued by modern chemists. Its practitioners included not only forgotten ‘magicians’ but respected scientists like Newton. It's legacy continues in the laboratories of the cosmetics industry and even in some of the company names, particularly those using ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ ingredients - Green Alchemy, Natures Alchemy and D’Alchemy, for example.

The Poet

Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality. She was shortlisted in the Theatre Cloud 'War Poetry for Today' competition and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and a Rhysling Award. Her poetry has appeared in many publications including: Apogee, Firewords, Capsule Stories, Gyroscope Review and So It Goes. Find Lynn on her website and on Facebook.

Next poem: As The World Turns by Eileen F Hugo