Chemistry

The genius of Mendeleev:
when he created the periodic table,
he left blanks.

When other scientists attempted to categorise the elements
they forced everything fit their pattern -
as if they had discovered all the elements already
and only needed to organise them properly.

Mendeleev instead oriented himself toward the future.
Dared to believe that there was more to know
than was already known
and although his simpler design was full of holes
he turned out to be right.

After a breakup,
I try to arrange my life using the pieces I already know
This person belongs here in this space:
Love interest, group 1, highly reactive

I obsess over what once was, what was lost
and if I’ll ever get it back

But what if I could be more like Mendeleev
and leave a space?

You said we didn’t have chemistry
when you disappeared with my outer electrons

Now I wait, open,
hoping to discover
what it is that will fill this void.