We sit in my office
With blinds open wide,
Our heads bent together
Over film that has dried.

It all fits our theory,
Each one of the pieces:
Bands become darker as
Concentration increases.

We marvel at beauty
So brilliant and pure;
The puzzle is solved
And a tough one, for sure.

We greedily wonder
Science, Nature or Cell?
Magnificent findings:
The world we must tell!

I bask at the wonder
And clap each one’s back:
“Let’s celebrate, folks,
As we’re on the right track.”

As we climb from our seats
And head for the door,
My shirt snags the film
And it falls to the floor.

We wipe off the dust,
Set it back on the table.
But the bands now look wrong,
And their order – unstable!

How can this have happened?
We thought we were done.
But the film’s upside-down
So it’s back to square one.