Tartrazine by Moose-Mouse

My synthetic acid dyes
(and azo ones as well) comprise
a great selection
of confection-
ary here today
E number 102, 
combined for green with Brilliant Blue
(hooray)

My colours add diversity 
to how many
ångströms fit
in the wavelength of the photons
that show from
my edible bits

My colourings, my colours, 
unlike others,
are just so lit
They give you such excitement,
a brightness,
a retinal hit

Orange B and Tartrazine
Yellow 2, Azorubine
Amaranth and Lycopene
Zeaxanthin, Carotene

Canthaxanthin, Quinolene
Quinacridone and Naphthol Green
Lutein, Erythrosine,
Allura Red, Indanth'rene

But you look up ‘Tartrazine’ and find its wiki information
in order to learn more about its use and regulation
The European Union allows it, and the USA
and Canada, but hold on, wait a minute, what does this say?
Tartrazine is banned in Austria and also Norwaaaaaaa*

Orange B and Tartrazine
Yellow 2, Azorubine
Amaranth and Lycopene
Zeaxanthin, Carotene

Canthaxanthin, Quinolene
Quinacridone and Naphthol Green
Lutein, Erythrosine,
Allura Red, Indanth'rene

If we can synthesise the rainbow out of substances so plain,
if we convolute a colour out of hydrocarbon chains
then why would any country just remove all tartrazine
over mild, baseless, unimportant insecurities?

So all Norwegian people aren’t allowed to ever see
my lovely lemon yellow (Acid Yellow 23)?
Like our monochromic cities die in concrete and blue glass,
the foods upon our plate are subject to a dull bandpass

So what happened to the bright, the bold, the coloured and the beautiful?
The awfulness of this is absolutely irrefutable
And Heinz put out tomato sauce in pink and blue and green
But nowadays tomato sauce like that cannot be seen
Now I want my Tartrazine
Now I want my Quinolene
Now I want Azorubine
Now I want Ethyrosine

Science is magic; the things they cook up in the lab
are things of wonder, removing the drab
And if you think technology’s a misstep, we should go back to the start,
just consider that we’re too far forward to depart
(Let’s at least enjoy ourselves before we crumble all apart.)

Synthesise all that we can, we’re making leaps and bounds
in chemistry, and soon a brand new colour will be found
Maybe it might have a slight effect upon the body
But lots of things do that, so I wouldn’t really worry

Synthetic red yellow and blue
Synthetic purple and green too

My life has artificial glaze
but it is great and I’m not fazed
Now what’ll be the latest craze?

Neotame and cyclamate
Free hydrogen ions are great
Sweet and sour
overpower
Dye it and acidulate!

Neotame and cyclamate
Neotame and cyclamate
Sweet and sour
overpower
Dye it and acidulate!

(trisodium 1-(4-sulfonatophenyl)-4-(4-sulfonatophenylazo)-5-pyrazolone-3-carboxylate)

No more sadness, boredom, strife
We live a synthetic life
No more hunger, greed, or lies
We live pyrazolone dyes

Nothing will and hasn’t been
I am simply Tartrazine
Nothing that I can recall
I am yellow, that is all.

YELLOW YELLOW YELLOW YELLOW [et cetera]

• Electronic
• Australia