The Division of Cells

Me: (finishes reading a self-penned poem down the phone)

Mother:  It’s really good!

Me:  Do you like?

Mother:  I really did actually – I wasn’t sure what to expect but – yeh – very good

Me:  Any bit in particular that worked/didn’t work, etc?

Mother; Nope.  Well, I mean, I didn’t understand some bits of it.

Me: Which bits?

Mother: Oh you know – just some bits that I wouldn’t understand.

Me:  Why?

Mother:  Just because I don’t get all that literary stuff like you do.

Me:  What literary stuff?

Mother:  Well, no – I mean the science-y stuff – the science-y stuff that you get.

Me:  Like, which bit?

Mother:  The cells. The division of cells.

Me:  But you just said it. That’s basically what I said. There’s nothing hidden in that: just ‘cells dividing’

Mother:  Yeh, but….oh you know I don’t get all that stuff

Me:  Yeh but – there’s nothing to get, it’s just – well, it is what it is.

Mother:  But what does it mean?

Me: What you want it to mean – and literally it means ‘cells dividing’

Mother: But what does THAT mean…?

Me:  That cells divide.

Mother:  hhmmmm………..

Me: ………....

Mother:  ……Do they ??

Me: ….!....