Catalyzed

Observing fluids percolate and flow
from flask to tube, my Bunsen burner flares
a bluish flame, reminding me of stares
your loving eyes would commonly bestow.
Those many fruitless nights I spent in search
of answers, you were painfully alone,
expecting that the diligence I’d shown
would bring success; but faith can only perch
upon its pedestal so long before
it falls. I heard the crash and rushed like mad
to see the single constant that I had
lie shattered, like a beaker on the floor.
I’ve struggled since that night without a break—
redemption is a compound hard to make.