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Stop Codons

​Stop codons (UAA, UAG, UGA) are a component of protein synthesis that dictates the stop of this process. For studying purposes, the mnemonic is U Are Annoying, U Are Gross, U Go Away.

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I was studying in the library

When I came across the stop codons

UAA, UAG, UGA

Three little acronyms

For when you want to encode the end of us

And the start codon

One little acronym

AUG

For when you want to encode the start of us

Dictating the protein synthesis of our mercurial affair

 

AUG

The first time I can’t isolate the E. coli of your lips or the salmonella of your hands from the intestines of my body

 

Every time you end things, I need an oil change

UAA

Every time the condom wrappers in my trash carry more weight than whatever we are

UAG

Every time the conductor silences the melody of you calling me baby and crescendos you saying we aren’t compatible

UGA

 

U

Are

Annoying

 

The second time it’s a play and you only enter stage right when the understudy Romeo kisses my Juliet

AUG

 

Every time it’s a long story my friends no longer care to read

UAA

Every time you splatter paint all over my white walls and I end up apologizing

UAG

Every time you say you want to solve me like a puzzle until I realize it’s just a game of Russian roulette

UGA

 

U

Are

Gross

 

The third time you bring an umbrella but can’t protect me from the thunder that rattles my ears with the rumors of you seeing others

AUG

 

Every time I use my friends like air bags as you crash our getaway car

UAA

Every time you start using my dark circles as foreplay instead of your lips and hands

 

UAG

 

Every time the ambulance of our affair rushes into the ER because I haven’t eaten in days

UGA

 

U

Go

Away

 

This time the color in my cheeks return

friends stop performing CPR

the weight scale stops scaring the people around me

As my family stops needing to hook me up to an IV full of saline drip love

This time the library greets me like an old friend

As the surgeon clears me for a craniotomy to remove the tumor that is you

Because we’re just a sequence of three nucleotides

And nothing more

 

Are

U

Gone?

Stop codons (UAA, UAG, UGA) are a component of protein synthesis that dictates the stop of this process. For studying purposes, the mnemonic is U Are Annoying, U Are Gross, U Go Away.

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