Page 40 - YSCC poetry booklet 2021

Am I Steel Relevant?

(A poem by a bitter, dejected piece of steel)

They say they’re tired of steel now;
Too rigid, too heavy, too rusty.
They say they want something new now;
Something lighter, something tougher, though costly.

I used to be the world’s beloved.
I span multi-ton bridges and raise skyscrapers.
But now it’s GRP I covet
With its fibre arrangement and custom layers.

It’s not only used in cars, aircraft, bicycles and hockey sticks.
It resists against chemicals;
That chemical resisting factor just adds to its tricks.

But wait...when I thought it couldn’t be outdone,
Nanotech came around in 1981.
Proving that smaller could be better
With atomic design that made properties superior.

Now they want better and more
Even lighter, even tougher, more conductive too.
I really am becoming a bore
With the new-age fad, what’s steel for?

Huh…maybe I’m not irrelevant.
I’m highly recycled and great in construction.
But to produce me causes carbon emissions
If that could all be captured I’d be back with a mission!

poetry booklet V5 25 02 2020.indd 40 2021/03/09 09:33:26