Dear Joe:

The Experiment:

“…so mad * so arrogant * to assume * that we can create life * in our own image”- parents expecting that, I am thinking.
“control life * playing god * and creating monsters”- powerful! True and powerful. You encountered man of those monsters throughout your life, well described in your other poems.

“…byproducts * of everybody elses worst parts”- parents who kill aspects of their children, leaving he worst parts to guide the child, unmitigated by the harmed good parts.

“you’re not human * you’re grotesque* …you’re ungodly”- ungodly children, ungodly adult children, fitting the parents playing god, a previous line in your poem.

“but they don’t want * to accept responsibility”- and that delays and often eliminates altogether the likelihood of the adult child healing from what the parent did.

“…they could control life * but * you don’t control a monster * … spiraling out of control * on a roaring rampage”- makes me think of the roaring rampage of Carrie in the movie!

Very powerful poem, Joe. Very powerful- I hope you don’t get rid of this one, or your other poems, in a cleaning ritual, as you called it. My goodness, this poem is so powerful! Glad you shared it here!

anita