On Elective Affinities

Atoms bouncing back and forth amid the ether,
Elemental bits of all earth’s matter,
Attract, repel, and sometimes come together
With a bond that’s hard to shake or shatter
Unless a rival element appears
To peel off half a once-strong compound.
Chemical specifics would bore you to tears,
But it’s these elective affinities by which we’re all bound.
From the Baron, impassioned and rash,
To his lovely wife, long-suffering and wise,
And little Ottilie, dazzled by the flash
Of love and chemistry; not so the Captain’s eyes.
The lesson for this once-happy group is not fun
But some chemical reactions can never be undone.