The physicist's lament -- to the tune of "Clouds" by Joni Mitchell; words 
by William Hughes; contributed by Jeff Hildebrand from the Swarthmore
filk finds.

Extremely tiny billiard balls
exert a force on every wall.
moving much too fast to fall: 
I've looked at light that way.
But now this doesn't seem to fit,
when looking through a double slit.
And shadows blur a little bit
with this peculiar ray.

I've looked at light from both sides now,
from speck and wave, and still somehow,
it's light's illusions I recall.
I really don't know light at all.

Moving steady as can be,
with lots of simultaneity.
A smooth increase in entropy:
I've looked at time that way.
But near the speed of light, I've found,
all rates of change start slowing down,
while antimatter turns things round,
and goes the other way.

I've looked at time from both sides now,
from where and when, and still somehow,
it's just equations I recall.
I really don't know time at all.

Yellows, red and sometimes blue,
just u's and d's will nicely do
to give protons and neutrons too: 
I've looked at quarks that way.
But lambdas now are acting strange.
They're taking much too long to change.
For something's lost if something's gained,
during their strong decay.

I've looked at quarks from both sides now
from up an down, and still somehow,
it's only hadrons I recall.
I really don't know quarks at all.