My ancestors bless me everyday
But not as you may think
From my faulty digestion to my round round face
God, I’m at the brink!
Now I have a son and he
Is a replica of good ol’ me
But not all genes, you know they say
Travel in the very same way
Head shape it seems is on the Y
Which we can’t change, how we try!
So with a big head poor thing will roam
Head shape travels on Y chromosome
Truth be told not just husband had a bad gene
I passed one which naked eye hadn’t seen
This one went on the beautiful X
For his life he will be under hex
I passed on an enzyme deficiency
Which never did manifest in me
Dear son will forever stay away from beans
And malaria-curing chloroquines
But hold on, it’s not just us humans with good or bad genes
Across the living kingdom, same are the scenes
Better and better physical versions we become…
Remember to make it worthwhile so Father Time is not glum!
Isha Rakheja
Isha is a PhD student in Dr. Souvik Maiti’s lab, working on targeting lncRNA structures using small molecules. She thinks that doing science is a lot like stumbling through life and is trying to figure out both.