The poet Laurie ate

Via 3quarksdaily, the winning poem in a contest put forth by the British Associate for the Advancement of Science (The BA).  The contest's theme: The works of Albert Einstein, in honour of National Science week and Einstein year.  (2005 is the centennary of his theory of relativity.  He was 26 when he came up with that little gem.)

Funky poem:

I once saw Einstein on a train
~Gordon Judge

I once saw Einstein on a train
Which whistled past our station.
“Your clock ticks much too slow,” I yelled.
“Ach, nein. That’s time dilation,

“I’m travelling near the speed of light
(A trick I’ve learned to master).
To me, your clock goes much too quick –
You’re getting older, faster!”

Herr Einstein wasn’t looking well,
He really looked quite thin.
He must have heard: “Nein, nein,” he cried,
And flashed the Einstein grin:

“A metre rule along my train
Is shortened by its speed, too;
That’s why I think I haven’t changed.
A ruler can’t mislead you!

“But even so, I must admit
I find it hard to move.
I have a theory why that is,
Which, one day, I will prove:

“When moving near the speed of light,
You need more energy
To shift a mass from here to there
Than when at rest, you see.

“All matter in the universe,”
The physicist declared,
“Holds energy whose magnitude
Is shown by mc2.

“When I return, I’ll stop the train
And you will learn the truth:
I’ve found the key to time and space,
And to eternal youth!”