Sodium Chloride

Just a little atom of chlorine,
valence minus one,
swimming through the sea, digging a scene.
Just having fun.
She’s not worried about the shape or size
of her outside shell.
It’s fun to ionize,
just a little atom of Cl
with an unfilled shell.

But somewhere in this sea lurks
Handsome Sodium
with enough electrons on his outside shell
plus that extra one.
Somewhere in this deep blue sea
there’s a negative
for my extra energy.
Yes! Somewhere in this foam
my positive will find a home!”

Then unsuspecting chlorine
felt a magnetic pull.
She looked down and her outside shell was full.
Sodium cried, “What a gas! Be my bride!
And I will change your name from Chlorine to Chloride”

Now the sea evaporates to make the clouds,
for the rain and snow
leaving her chemical compounds in the absence of H2O.
But the crystals that wash upon the shore
are happy ones.
So, if you never thought before,
think of the love that you eat
when you salt your meat.




Kate and Anna McGarrigle