A Grain of Salt

Alice counted them, the Chlorine electrons:

"But now you total up from seven to eight!"

"Yes", they shouted harmoniously, all at once

"We're in partnership with Sodium Syndicate!"

"Together, we are Sodium Chloride

You may call us the Salt of the Earth!"

"Seven of us bond with Sodium's one

and our valence shell shall have no dearth."

"Sounds very cooperative", smiled Alice,

"But I wonder which one of you is from Sodium?"

"I am, I am", then "He's the one, he's the one"

Came eight loud responses, in unison.

"How rude, they always speak at once, and

They all do have the same name too"

So Alice thought it was pointless, really,

Guessing among electrons, who was who!

"Could you explain," she couldn't help asking

"How come the charge on Sodium is now positive?"

"When even if it lost one electron,

"Surely the others still make it negative?"

"All the negativity of the electrons put together

Is kept in check by the atom's nucleus."

"An electron, if lost, makes it a positive ion

And, if gained, is negative just like us!"

"You seem quite upbeat to me", said Alice

But what, or who is this Nucleus you mention?"

Nervously they looked around and whispered:

"Don't speak of it now, but every atom has one!"

"The positive charge in the nucleus

Keeps us negative electrons in balance"

"It pulls us in but we are too agile

And so goes on this atomic dance!"

"This molecular tango is quite impressive,

I guess I exist and that's all its fault!"

"For now," she concluded, "my head's spinning

So I'll take all of this with a grain of salt!"