Devoto Lab Poetry and Palindromes

We welcome submissions for other fish and science poems: sdevoto@wesleyan.edu

weed poetry

Poems written about us:

The interaction of muscle cell dnPKA and adaxial cells under lateral presomitic conditions with EMS creme during a rainy day

In the glorious lab of Steve  Where the mission was to cleave  Nine-six adaxial cells  And transfer them to microtiter wells  And this they did achieve  Once this duty was performed  Devoto noticed that they were deformed  With a desparaging cry  He asked himself why  The cells did not fit the norm  From the wells they did emerge  And cast upon the world their spurge  With horns and fangs  And green clipped bangs  Our population they began to purge  With muscle cell dnPKA  Steve proceded to save the day  By attacking their genes  with EMS creme  Steve said "you're not here to stay!"  And thus it was so  The story did go  One fateful afternoon  Of impending biological doom  Wesleyan was saved by Devoto    by The Sultans

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Palindromes we are proud of:

• Red rum and spam flee time, so Yosemite elf maps DNA murder.
  
• Ukiah: a mad dog spam spa?
  maps, maps.
  goddam! a haiku.
  

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Miscellaneous thoughts on fish by others:

• Enjoy thy stream
  O harmless fish
  And when some angler
  For his dish
  Through gluttons vile sinne
  Attempts, they wretch
  To pull the out
  God give the strength
  O gentle trout
  To pull the rascal in

  Peter Pindar, sent to me by Jodi Owens.

• If fishing is interfering with your business, give up your business.

  Sparse Grey Hackle (Alfred W. Miller)

• Rivers and the inhabitants of the watery elements are made for wise men to contemplate and for fools to pass by without consideration.

  Izaac Walton

• Fish heads, fish heads,
  roly-poly fish heads,
  eat them up, eat them up,
  yum!

  Anonymous, circa 1982. Appeared on men's bathroom stall, Founders Hall, Haverford College, Haverford, PA. Submitted by Gary Connell. His citation is accurate, but incomplete, see below.

• Fish heads. By Barnes & Barnes

  (Chorus and first verse) Fish heads fish heads Roly poly fish heads fish heads fish heads eat them up, yum! Ask a fish head anything you want to they won't answer they can't talk. (chorus) I took a fish head out to see a movie didnt have to pay to get it in. (chorus) They don't play baseball they don't wear sweaters they're not good dancers They don't play drums!! (chorus) Rolypoly fishheads are never seen drinking cappuccino in Italian restaurants with oriental women!!!!! Yeah! Fish heads fish heads roly poly fish heads fish heads fish heads eat them up Yum! YEEAAHHHH!!!!!!

  (Click on picture to go to Barnes and Barnes web page)

  From the Dr. Demento Show, submitted by Janetta Stallons.

• In life's small things be resolute and great
  To keep thy muscle trained: know'st thou when Fate
  Thy measure takes, or when she 'll say to thee
  I find thee worthy; do this deed for me"?
  • James Russell Lowell. 1819-1891. Epigram.

  This poem speaks eloquently about cell commitment and the determination of muscle cell identity. "She" is obviously a metaphor for the notochord, and what "she" says clearly refers to hedgehog signaling. --S.H. Devoto
  

• O flesh, flesh, how art thou fishified!
  • William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, sc. 3.
• Anaximander says that men were first produced in fishes, and when they were grown up and able to help themselves were thrown up, and so lived upon the land.
  • Plutarch. 46 (?)-120 (?) A. D. Symposiacs. Book viii. Question viii.