Tweetspeak Poetry

  • Home
  • FREE prompts
  • National Poetry Month
  • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • Teaching Tools
  • Books, Etc.
  • Patron Love

Poets and Poems: Jeannine Hall Gailey and “The Robot Scientist’s Daughter”

By Glynn Young 5 Comments

Jeannine Hall Gailey Poets and Poems

Growing up in mosquito-laden New Orleans, one of the periodic excitements in the neighborhood was the arrival of the fogging trucks. They would travel slowly down the street, spraying a fog of DDT. The truck’s appearance on the street was the excuse for an impromptu parade – 20 or 20 of us would run for our bikes and follow the fog in the truck’s wake.

It was the late 1950s, before Rachel Carson and the environmental movement, before thalidomide, a time when America believed in itself and in technology. Only later would we come to understand that technology is a two-edged sword. It can bring great good; it can also bring unintended and unexpected consequences. The fire of Prometheus brought warmth and light; it also brought destruction. Technology is never neutral.

Jeannine Hall Gailey grew up in one of the great centers of technology in America – Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Like its sister site at Los Alamos, New Mexico, Oak Ridge was a focus of America’s atomic energy program. Gailey’s father was a professor at the University of Tennessee, and a consultant at Oak Ridge. Specifically, he consulted on robotic-based ways to clean up nuclear waste (this was not the 1950s; by the time Gailey lived in Oak Ridge, the problem of nuclear waste had long been recognized).

Gailey did not grow up in a nuclear wasteland, despite the Geiger counter in the basement of her home; despite considerable poverty, Appalachian Tennessee was a place of considerable natural beauty. What she does in The Robot Scientist’s Daughter, her fourth collection of poetry, is to combine that natural beauty surrounded her childhood with the unnatural, destructive and often deadly effects of nuclear technology and research. That technology had its own kind of beauty, which she summarizes in the opening poem of the collection.

Robot Scientist DaughterCesium Burns Blue

Copper burns green, Sodium yellow,
strontium red. Watch the flaming lights
that blaze across your skies, America—
there are burning satellites
even now being swallowed by your horizon,
the detritus of space programs long defunct,
the hollowed masterpieces of dead scientists.
Someone is lying on a grassy hill,
counting shooting stars,
wondering what happens
when they hit the ground.

In my back yard in Oak Ridge,
they lit cesium
to measure the glow.
Hold it in your hand:
foxfire, wormwood, glow worm.
Cesium lights the rain,
is absorbed in the skin,
unstable, unstable,
dancing away, ticking away,
in bones, fingernails, brain.
Sick burns through, burns blue.

Jeannine Hall Gailey

Jeannine Hall Gailey

Many of the poems in the collection are entitled “The Robot Scientist’s Daughter, ” with a parenthetical word of phrase to differentiate them, such as “villainess, ” “medical wonder, ” “triangulate, ” “experiments in sleep deprivation, ” and “brushes with death.” Some 20 of the poems are so entitled. But even those poems with different titles are also Gailey’s story of growing up near Oak Ridge, sharing that point-counterpoint of natural beauty and technology fallout. All of the poems are written in a narrative, almost journalistic fashion, bring with them a sense of news and urgency.

Gailey’s previous books of poetry are Becoming the Villainess, She Returns to the Floating World, and Unexplained Fevers. She’s received a number of awards and prizes, and her poems have been published in American Poetry Review, The Iowa Review, Prairie Schooner, and other publications.

The Robot Scientist’s Daughter is a remarkable, cohesive collection, built upon the same theme. It is a story of a unique childhood, and an American childhood. It is also the story of nature and technology, and the bargain we make between the two, often without fully understanding what we’re doing.

It is indeed the fire of Prometheus.

Related: Jeannine Hall Gailey reads “Cesium Burns Blue:

Art by Dino Olivieri, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Post by Glynn Young, author of the novels Dancing Priest and A Light Shining, and Poetry at Work.

Browse more poets and poems

Every Day Poems Driftwood

Want to brighten your morning coffee?

Subscribe to Every Day Poems and find some beauty in your inbox.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn
Glynn Young
Editor and Twitter-Party-Cool-Poem-Weaver at Tweetspeak Poetry
Glynn Young lives in St. Louis where he retired as the team leader for Online Strategy & Communications for a Fortune 500 company. Glynn writes poetry, short stories and fiction, and he loves to bike. He is the author of Poetry at Work and the Dancing Priest Series. Find Glynn at Faith, Fiction, Friends.
Glynn Young
Follow Glynn
Latest posts by Glynn Young (see all)
  • Poets and Poems: Sydell Rosenberg & Amy Losak and “Wing Strokes Haiku” - March 21, 2023
  • Looking for the Poetry in Vermeer, a Blockbuster of an Art Exhibition - March 17, 2023
  • An Updated Take on Keats’s Odes by Anahid Nersessian - March 14, 2023

Filed Under: Americana Poems, article, Childhood Poems, Nature Poems, Poems, poetry reviews, Poets

Get Every Day Poems...

Comments

  1. Richard Maxson says

    April 2, 2015 at 6:06 pm

    Glynn, wonderful review of a very unusual and beautiful book of poetry. I especially enjoyed The Robot Scientist’s Daughter [medical wonder].

    Also, I would like to congratulate you for, like me, still being here on earth after many, many followings of the DDT truck on my bike wt a very young age. I can only imagine our trust generated some kind of mercy that has seen us through. Was that a good time or what?!

    Reply
  2. Melanie says

    April 13, 2015 at 3:22 pm

    I’m reading this book now, and I’ll be posting a review as part of Gailey’s blog tour. Thank you for posting the video of “Cesium Burns Blue” – I always wonder if I’ve been reading poetry in the right voice, and the video tells me that I have… matter-of-fact, without additional drama because the words are so clear.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Poets and Poems: Jeannine Hall Gailey and &ldqu... says:
    March 31, 2015 at 9:24 am

    […] "The Robot Scientist's Daughter" by Jeannine Hall Gailey is a story of point-counterpoint of nature and technology, and the bargain we make between them.  […]

    Reply
  2. Tulips, Bookfairs, and Things to Boost Your Immune System/Confidence @ Webbish6 says:
    March 31, 2015 at 11:51 am

    […] update: this morning, I woke up to this kind review/feature of The Robot Scientist’s Daughter on Tweetspeak Poetry. An unexpected […]

    Reply
  3. Poetic Voices: Paula Marie Coomer and Donna Vorreyer says:
    August 11, 2015 at 5:00 am

    […] featured poet Jeannine Hall Gailey, author of The Robot Scientist’s Daughter, which was featured here at Tweetspeak Poetry earlier this […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cute Comic

😊

The Sadbook Collections

A stick-figure human sure to capture your heart.

Take How to Read a Poem

Get the Introduction, the Billy Collins poem, and Chapter 1

get the sample now

Welcome to Tweetspeak

New to Tweetspeak Poetry? Start here, in The Mischief Café. You're a regular? Check out our March Menu.

Patron Love

❤️

Welcome a little patron love, when you help keep the world poetic.

Now a Graphic Novel!

"Stunning, heartbreaking, and relevant illustrations"

Callie Feyen, teacher

read a summary of The Yellow Wallpaper

meet The Yellow Wallpaper characters

Your Comments

  • Bethany on Pandemic Journal: An Entry on Peaceful Writing on the Porch
  • Faith Whetstone on Pandemic Journal: An Entry on Peaceful Writing on the Porch
  • 20 Best Poetry Books About Love to Read Now  | Giannina Braschi on Poets and Poems: Dave Malone’s “O: Love Poems from the Ozarks”
  • Laura on The Honey Field—5: Sugar Water for Honeybees

How to Write Poetry

Featured In

We're happy to have been featured in...

The Huffington Post

The Paris Review

The New York Observer

Tumblr Book News

Stay in Touch With Us

Categories

Coloring Page Poem Printables!

Get all free coloring page poems now

Learn to Write Form Poems

How to Write an Acrostic

How to Write a Ballad

How to Write a Catalog Poem

How to Write a Ghazal

How to Write a Haiku

How to Write an Ode

How to Write a Pantoum

How to Write a Rondeau

How to Write a Sestina

How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Villanelle

5 FREE POETRY PROMPTS

Get 5 FREE inbox poetry prompts from the popular book How to Write a Poem

Shakespeare Resources

Poetry Classroom: Sonnet 18

Common Core Picture Poems: Sonnet 73

Sonnet 104 Annotated

Sonnet 116 Annotated

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Character Analysis: Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?

10 Fun Shakespeare Resources

About Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright

Top 10 Shakespeare Sonnets

See all 154 Shakespeare sonnets in our Shakespeare Library!

Explore Work From Black Poets

About Us

  • • A Blessing for Writers
  • • Annual Theme 2022: Perspective
  • • Annual Theme 2021: Generous
  • • Our Story
  • • Meet Our Team
  • • Literary Citizenship
  • • Poet Laura
  • • Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches
  • • T. S. Poetry Press – All Books
  • • Contact Us

Write With Us

  • • 5 FREE Poetry Prompts-Inbox Delivery
  • • 30 Days to Richer Writing Workshop
  • • How to Write Form Poems-Infographics
  • • Poetry Club Tea Date
  • • Poetry Prompts
  • • Submissions

Read With Us

  • • All Our Books
  • • Book Club
  • • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • • Literacy Extras
  • • Poems to Listen By: Audio Series
  • • Poet-a-Day
  • • Poets and Poems
  • • 50 States Projects
  • • Charlotte Perkins Gilman Poems Library
  • • Edgar Allan Poe Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Blake Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Shakespeare Sonnet Library

Celebrate With Us

  • • Poem on Your Pillow Day
  • • Poetic Earth Month
  • • Poet in a Cupcake Day
  • • Poetry at Work Day
  • • Random Acts of Poetry Day
  • • Take Your Poet to School Week
  • • Take Your Poet to Work Day

Gift Ideas

  • • Every Day Poems
  • • Our Shop
  • • Everybody Loves a Book!

Connect

  • • Donate
  • • Blog Buttons
  • • By Heart
  • • Shop for Tweetspeak Fun Stuff

Copyright © 2023 Tweetspeak Poetry · FAQ, Disclosure & Privacy Policy

We serve poetry with our cookies. Because that's the way it should be.
We serve poetry with your cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you... accept the cookies with a smile.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
update cookie prefs

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT