The Free Kinetic State

A free radical roamed through the void,
With a charge that left atoms annoyed.
"I'm single," it cried, "and I just want to pair —
This unpaired electron is too much to bear!"

It zipped past a neon (too noble, too cold),
Tried flirting with fluorine (too clingy, too bold).
It tangoed with sulfur (they sparked, then they split),
And oxygen ghosted - just couldn't commit.

Then came an atom, alone but composed,
With orbitals open and slightly exposed.
They circled, then clicked - what a valence surprise!
Their bond lit the sky like new stars in the skies.

They danced through the ether, a once-wild thing tamed,
No longer unstable, no longer unnamed.
Now calm, now complete, no more causing a scene,
Just two happy electrons in a cozy machine.

So here's to the radicals - lonely, uncouth,
Who crash into chaos, then settle in truth.
For even the wildest can find their delight,
In the bond that goes "Click!" on a chemistry night.