Silver (4A)


Silver

I am the white lightening that bolts up from the ground
an amulet to the monsters of your fantasies
a talisman for the gods of your mythology
an ornament representing prosperity and rank for you

I have kept you safe from small predators
but be warned
too much of me
and your mood will be permanently blue

Work gently with me
and I will be an adornment of beauty
a reflection of all that is
and might be
a conductor of your power

February 4-5, 2011
Tressa Lee Breen

My Notes & Resource Tools:

Soft, white, lustrous, transition metal
Highest electrical and thermal conductivity
Ornaments, jewelry, utensils, coins, contracts, conductors, mirrors
Brilliant white metallic luster, high degree of polish
High social/political rank
Shaped at room temperature, gentle/careful hammer blows
With tin, mercury for filings
Silvering = mirrors w/ silver as the reflecting material
Sputtering = silver applied to glass at various thicknesses, allowing different amounts of light to penetrate
Silver compound used to prevent infection pre-antibiotics
Silver inhibits growth of bacteria/fungi, added to socks to reduce odor
Disinfect water/food during storage during the Middle Ages
Too much absorbed into circulatory system, deposited various body tissues, argyira: blue-grayish discoloration of skin, eyes, mucous membranes - doesn't effect health but usually permanent
Decorative silver foil in traditional Indian dishes - Vark
Silver Dragee - decorative cakes, cookies, desserts
Silver on Wikipedia

Carbon (6)


Carbon

I was not there in the beginning
but formed soon after in the hearts of lights
to be scattered through space on a super nova wave
as star dust

I can be mixed beyond measure
hard and soft
clear and black
I am in your second skin
You use me in tools of creativity

I power the world
I power you
Energy rides me

In Life I am always there

February 3 & 5, 2011
Tressa Lee Breen

My Notes & Resource Tools:

4th most abundant in universe
Sun, stars, comets, most atmospheres
Diamond-transparent, hardest, low conductivity
Graphite-opaque/black, soft, high conductivity
More compounds than any other (mix beyond measure)
Chemical basis of all known life
Present in all known life forms
Powder form: charcoal, lampblack (soot)
Charcoal, coal, oil (powers the world)
Pencil "lead" (communication, chart our history)
Not present in Big Bang
Scattered through space as dust/supernova
Human Body-2nd most abundant by mass after oxygen
W/ hydrogen: refrigerants, lubricants, solvents
W/ hydrogen & oxygen: sugars, alcohols, fats
W/ nitrogen: alkaloids
W/ sulfur: antibiotics, amino acids, rubber
Add phosphorus too: DNA, RNA, ATF (energy transfer molecules)
Monoxide, cyanide, methane
Diamond: gem/industrial
Carbon polymers of animal origin: wool, cashmere, silk
Plant (cellulose-carbon polymer): cotton, linen, hemp
Carbon Black: ink, oil paint, watercolours, toner
Carbon on Wikipedia

Iron (5)


Iron

I was one of the first
to be scattered across the universe
I still am the most produced in fusion
and collapse of those brightest in the night sky

From deep in the core
through to the outer edges
I embrace the earth
in my gray arms

Alone I am soft
turning red and flaky
mix me up
and I am Atlas to your civilizations
stainless

Even inside you I flow
keeping your blood breathing

I am a backbone to your world

February 3, 2011
Tressa Lee Breen

My Notes & Resource Tools:

Most common element
Most of inner/outer core (iron/nickel)
4th most common in crust
Produces fusion in high mass stars - last before collapse of super nova - scattered into space
Lustrous silver gray
Reactive to oxygen/water - rust (flakes)/rusticles (Titanic)
Pure - softer than aluminum
Hemoglobin/myoglobin - oxygen transport proteins in vertebrates
Enzymes dealing w/ cellular respiration/oxidation/reduction in plants/animals
Steel - up to 1000 harder than pure
Stainless steel cutlery, hospital/food service equipment
Iron on Wikipedia

Silver/Memories In Silver (4)


Memories In Silver

I can come upon you like mercury
when you’re in the middle of other things
reflecting what was
over what is
hitting you like lightening
making you sweat
blindingly brilliant

Time easily tarnishes me
I become sputtering and unfocused
just out of view
causing your teeth to ache

Best to deal with me in comfort
gentle blows to shape me up

Learn from me and I’ll protect you
from the infection of actions repeated
foil your blue moods
and give you the confidence of Royalty

February 2, 2011
Tressa Lee Breen

My Notes & Resource Tools:
Soft, white, lustrous, transition metal
Highest electrical and thermal conductivity
Ornaments, jewelry, utensils, coins, contracts, conductors, mirrors
Brilliant white metallic luster, high degree of polish
High social/political rank
Shaped at room temperature, gentle/careful hammer blows
With tin, mercury for filings
Silvering = mirrors w/ silver as the reflecting material
Sputtering = silver applied to glass at various thicknesses, allowing different amounts of light to penetrate
Silver compound used to prevent infection pre-antibiotics
Silver inhibits growth of bacteria/fungi, added to socks to reduce odor
Disinfect water/food during storage during the Middle Ages
Too much absorbed into circulatory system, deposited various body tissues, argyira: blue-grayish discoloration of skin, eyes, mucous membranes - doesn't effect health but usually permanent
Decorative silver foil in traditional Indian dishes - Vark
Silver Dragee - decorative cakes, cookies, desserts
Silver on Wikipedia