Writing Odes

What are Odes?
The Greek poet Pindar invented odes over 2,500 years ago. Back then, odes were serious and dignified poems performed to celebrate victories. In the twentieth century, Pablo Neruda put his own spin on the classic form. He abandoned dignified topics, discarded the conventions of stanzas and meter, and sang the praises of everyday things (i.e., “An Ode to My Sock”).


Why are We Writing Odes in Science?
Writing an ode is an opportunity to sing the praises of important but overlooked things in everyday life. All of the living things found in our ecosystem play a vital role in the circle of life. Without producers making food, consumers eating food and controlling population sizes, and decomposers breaking down waste, none of us would be here today. With that in mind, we chose an organism as our muse, identified its energy role in the ecosystem, and exalted its magnificence with a pen, a piece of paper, and our ever-expanding minds.

Here are a few poems my students wrote. Enjoy!

Ode to Producer
You are mother
and we are your children.
You feed us and give us life
like a proud mother would.
Without you we all would
perish and die
and fall away from grace
without your love.
You get your energy from the sun
And turn it into something we all use.
This is to you producers.

-- Cynthia O


Ode to Decomposers
You are called disgusting.
You are called horrific.
You are called disease-causing, ugly, and bleak.

You devour the greatest beasts,
the most vibrant of flowers.
The simplest of organisms are a feast fit only for you.

You dine on the creatures
killed by life.
Every last bone
sucked dry by you.

You share your new found wealth
throughout the circle of life.
Once you’ve had your fill
you give bountiful gifts
to humble Mother Nature.

Without your voracious appetite
death would stain the globe.
Carcasses would overwhelm us
leaving no room to grow.

Perhaps you remain unswayed
By this humble poem.
Please, just hear this:
”Don’t judge ’em ’till you know ’em.”

-- Benson B.


Ode to Decomposers
Oh silent, slick decomposers,
you slowly creep upon your victims,
and slowly take it away.

With pride and honor
you eat your victims,
and return the favor,
by supplying the minerals
for its young.

You return the minerals it took in,
and you give freely.
You devour upon those who died
to leave space to those yet to be born.

You are fungus,
bacteria,
a double-handed foe,
a two-faced champion,
who eat the dead
and feed the life.

-- David D.

Bravo, young bards, bravo.