Thales of Miletus studied some aspects with amber and with certain types of rocks. Maxwell put it all together in four tidy equations. It is the dominant force in the interactions of atoms and molecules. Start with how democracies select their leaders. Next is a legal acronym to stop a harmful act. Next is slang for something wonderful, then the thing a basketball goes through. Finish with the singular of are and a single letter by itself.

Demanded by tyrants, Granted freely by streams, Let us honor the fallen, Who live on in our dreams

I am worn in red where a bride should wear white. I bloom for the living, yet cling to the dead. In the Lowlands Away, I rest on her breast the only color left when the song tells her fate. Love placed me there; loss made me stay. What am I?

In vaults of blackness dost thou find me, where Prometheus dared to steal. I dance with shadows, a flick'ring sprite, consuming all with warmth and zeal.

A sea of red, when all is dead, From broken ground I rise. A cure for pain, a sweet sedative strain, Or cloud your mind and blur your eyes.