CAN’T DIS CERN

Take two Swiss clocks, Swiss for their precision;

accelerate them near the speed of light;

steer them into a direct collision

to smash them with all available might.

Splinter their casings and dislodge their gears,

and, like they were some vogue, hotsy-totsy

starlet involved in political smears,

quick-snap pictures like the paparazzi.

Then, from the photos, attempt to surmise

how it all fit together and kept time

before the annihilating surprise

of springs, escapement, balance wheels and chime.

And when you’ve grasped how hard that is to learn,

you’ll understand just what goes on at CERN.