On precipice of winter-breaking,
With final-exam-prep painstaking,
These lines anapestic
Are far from majestic
(Last rhymed autumn-term undertaking).
This non-Twitter poem probably requires little interpretation, near the close of a hectic semester, but I will give it a bit of additional context.
On precipice of winter-breaking, /
With final-exam-prep painstaking…
We are in the last week of classes here, prior to Finals Week (and then the Grading/Meeting Weeks…), before a brief winter break.
In the academic timeline, attention has thus shifted primarily to preparations for the final exams: reviewing and reflecting on the chemistry content from a busy semester.
These lines anapestic /
Are far from majestic…
The metric feet used in limericks are anapests and amphibrachs. In this setting, the adjective form of the first lends itself particularly well to a sardonic rhyme, since my end-of-term work tends to focus primarily on simply accomplishing tasks, rather than achieving any sort of impressiveness in doing so! The close of autumn term can seem particularly draining as the daylight wanes throughout the semester, whereas in spring, the shift back to longer daylight hours often provides a welcome boost in the last few weeks of the semester.
(Last rhymed autumn-term undertaking).
While it’s possible I might aim for a more extensive essay before year’s end, this will nonetheless be the last post during the autumn term itself, as highlighted in the last line.
Together, the “precipice” of the first line and the semester’s drawing to a close are what prompted the title of this specific piece.
Chemphasis 