1926, a son of the British Empire
Alan Turing was accepted by Sherborne
A moderately distinguished public school
One could conform, rebel, or withdraw
And Alan withdrew
At the age of ten, he had been given a book called Natural Wonders Every Child Should Know
Alan told his mother later that this book had opened his eyes to science
But more than that, it opened the book of life
Attempting to answer the question
What have I in common with other living things?
And how do I differ from them?
And by what process of becoming did I myself finally appear in this world?
It was an introduction to science and sex
And conveyed the idea that there had to be a reason for the way things are
And that the reason came not from God, but from science
For, of course, the body is a machine

Natural wonders every child should know
Birds and bees and how the flowers grow
Why the sky is blue
And grass is green
What boys and girls are made of
And how the body
Is a machine

Alan liked chemistry experiments and inventing things
He was an independent boy
For although he'd surely learned by now about the birds and the bees
His heart was to be elsewhere
He had been made aware by Sherborne of a secret
That in the outside world was not even supposed to exist
And it was his secret
For he was drawn by love and desire
To his own sex
There was a boy in another house
Alan had first noticed Christopher Morcom early in 1927
And had been very struck by him
He wanted to look again at his face as he felt so attracted
Christopher shared with Alan a passion for science
Alan's utter loneliness was pierced at last
He wrote: Chris was waiting outside the labs and took me out to see the stars

Natural wonders every child should know
Birds and bees and how the flowers grow
Why the sky is dark
And stars are seen
What boys and girls are made of
And how the body
Is a machine

The mental picture of the universe had expanded a millionfold
Alan and Christopher had discussed ideas

No one had told Alan that Christopher had contracted tuberculosis as a small boy
And his life had been constantly in danger
At noon on Thursday, the thirteenth of February, 1930
Christopher died
Alan wrote to Mrs. Morcom.
I know I must put as much energy, if not as much interest in my work
As if he were alive
Because that is what he would like me to do
Alan's brain, like a wireless set, resonated to a signal from the unseen world

Natural wonders every child should know
Birds and bees and how the flowers grow
Why the sky is blue
And grass is green
What boys and girls are made of
And how the body
Is a machine

And grass is green
What boys and girls are made of
And how the body
Is a machine