
A synthesized collection of science and poetry

Stop Codons
​Stop codons (UAA, UAG, UGA) are a component of protein synthesis that dictates the stop of this process. For studying purposes, the mnemonic is U Are Annoying, U Are Gross, U Go Away.
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I was studying in the library
When I came across the stop codons
UAA, UAG, UGA
Three little acronyms
For when you want to encode the end of us
And the start codon
One little acronym
AUG
For when you want to encode the start of us
Dictating the protein synthesis of our mercurial affair
AUG
The first time I can’t isolate the E. coli of your lips or the salmonella of your hands from the intestines of my body
Every time you end things, I need an oil change
UAA
Every time the condom wrappers in my trash carry more weight than whatever we are
UAG
Every time the conductor silences the melody of you calling me baby and crescendos you saying we aren’t compatible
UGA
U
Are
Annoying
The second time it’s a play and you only enter stage right when the understudy Romeo kisses my Juliet
AUG
Every time it’s a long story my friends no longer care to read
UAA
Every time you splatter paint all over my white walls and I end up apologizing
UAG
Every time you say you want to solve me like a puzzle until I realize it’s just a game of Russian roulette
UGA
U
Are
Gross
The third time you bring an umbrella but can’t protect me from the thunder that rattles my ears with the rumors of you seeing others
AUG
Every time I use my friends like air bags as you crash our getaway car
UAA
Every time you start using my dark circles as foreplay instead of your lips and hands
UAG
Every time the ambulance of our affair rushes into the ER because I haven’t eaten in days
UGA
U
Go
Away
This time the color in my cheeks return
friends stop performing CPR
the weight scale stops scaring the people around me
As my family stops needing to hook me up to an IV full of saline drip love
This time the library greets me like an old friend
As the surgeon clears me for a craniotomy to remove the tumor that is you
Because we’re just a sequence of three nucleotides
And nothing more
Are
U
Gone?
Stop codons (UAA, UAG, UGA) are a component of protein synthesis that dictates the stop of this process. For studying purposes, the mnemonic is U Are Annoying, U Are Gross, U Go Away.