Poem: ‘Schrödinger’s Cat’

Science in meter and verse

By Peggy Landsman

Cat staring at its shadow. — Ana Rocio Garcia Franco/Getty Images

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

Edited by Dava Sobel

Schrödinger’s Cat Laments

Look at me in this box all alone.
Who’s to care if I don’t feel at home?
There’s just this device,
Which isn’t so nice,
To see that I live or get blown....*

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

Schrödinger’s Cat Complains

Erwin’s cat caterwauls to her mate:
Verschränkung’s† controlling my fate.
Alive and quite dead,
I exist in his head,
A mere plaything of his mental state.

Schrödinger’s Cat Reconsiders

So, okay, I’ll exist in his head,
Both alive and impossibly dead.
I’ll welcome this feat
From my sweet catbird seat
For as long as he keeps me well fed.

Schrödinger’s Cat Explains

Though I’m only a thought in his mind,
It is taught I’m a curious kind.
Not here and not there,
I pop up everywhere
Demonstrating one cat’s double bind.

*In a 1950 letter to Erwin Schrödinger, Albert Einstein wrote of the cat “alive and blown to bits.” Einstein’s original suggestion to Schrödinger in 1935 mentioned gunpowder, not a Geiger counter and poison.

†Verschränkung—“entanglement.” Schrödinger coined this term while developing the thought experiment.

It’s Time to Stand Up for Science

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.

I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.

If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.

In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.

There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.

Thank you,

David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American