He dissected them

I donned rubber gloves

and pulled apart their organs

trying to understand

how it was

that I was any better than them

or even

any different.

—–

He loved the distance a pen could create

offering the safety of clinical observation

placing him behind the Plexiglas

and far above

so that he appeared clean and professional

all the while taking gulps from hidden bottles

(necessary inspiration for true creativity)

and not coming home to me that night.