Pure Gas

by Steven Utley

Helium, Neon,
Argon, Krypton, Xenon, and
Radon keep strictly
to themselves, even
refusing to acknowledge
one another. Yet
their opinions on
everything are the
same. For example,
they despise Carbon
and Oxygen (“Total sluts!”) and
think Hydrogen is
common as dirt — in
a word, cheap — and “attracts all
sorts of elements.”

Copyright © 2004 by Steven Utley