Science takes you places
says Ntombizonke Kheswa
a target maker at iThemba Labs

Science takes you places
girls who wear pink can
become scientists too just
as our boys wear their blue

Science takes you places
girls can become scientists (too)
in a country where Science Week
is just that, a week, and no more
(like our Public Library Week)

Science takes you places
you who fashion (your) children
in your own image trying to keep
them on the ‘straight and narrow’

Eat your vegetables
and drink lots of water,
speak when you’re spoken to
don’t answer back and forth

Science takes you places
says a young female scientist
who gets to play with stuff
like tungsten and an electron gun

Science takes you places
(even out of darkest Africa)
Where might you want to go

Inspired by the “You are a target what?” article on young scientist Ntombizonke Kheswa in the November 2010 issue of Chalkline, stumbled upon by I-self only recently in the Woodstock Library (of all places).