The Science:
Maria Skłodowska Curie did not know about the destructive effects of radioactivity on the body and routinely interacted with her samples. She died of leukaemia as a result. She also fought bias against women in science (and antisemitism, and Poles) for almost her whole life.

Radioactive Skłodowska
by Ruth Aylett

My cookery book
still too hot to hold,
my papers in a lead box.

I gave you the word
for the real but unseen,
penetrating the body;

irradiating mine from
the test tubes in my pocket,
the glow in my desk drawer.

Never mere to myself,
but for them - that woman, 
irreligious, too clever by half,

and much too Polish;
until dead 
with poisoned blood,

when they made me an icon.
But give me my full name:
Maria Skłodowska Curie.

Radioactive Skłodowska by Ruth Aylett

Welcome to Consilience
the online poetry journal exploring the spaces where science and art meet. Each issue of Consilience features poems about science all linked by a common theme, written by poets of all backgrounds. At Consilience, we aim to publish all the submissions that we receive and to make both the poetry and the science accessible to all audiences. Here, we feature audio recordings of poems or short pieces by authors who published in Consilience. For more information about the journal, team and how to submit a poem, visit our website: https://www.consilience-journal.com/

Audio poems produced by Zed Sehyr @Consilience Journal