She Left Daddy Laughing

Well done, in its solid subtlety.

Much enjoyed this  :)

Thanks!

Take good care and talk to you later.

~Brian

This is a very lurid and sordid poem, which isn't a criticism, just an observation. It seems to be a mix of horror, black comedy and revenge fantasy. The comedy isn't overt, but the relish with which the violence is conveyed, especially when implying the abuser's fate, strikes me as comic.
The use of the subject matter could easily be called exploitive, yet it's so outlandish that it doesn't seem too cruel or offensive. Plus, to be honest, I'd rather the abuse victim take bloody vengeance than just cry and scream and hate herself. In real life of course I'd want swift and elegant justice to be done, with "daddy" locked away and this poor girl placed in a loving foster home, but this isn't real life, it's storytelling. I hope a nugget of meaning can be pulled from my ramblings, and thank you for the read.

Thank you Heslopian.  The last time I posted this in a poetry community, it received a smattering of neutral replies.  They didn't seem to get it.

You got it, my man.  Yes, it's a story, and stories have drama.  Happily, it doesn't derive from personal experience.  But there have been MANY times I have thirsted for revenge, for one slight or another.  Who has not?  Swift justice...intimately personal.  An earnestly sought dream for some, rarely fulfilled (and a damned good thing).

I didn't write it with comedy in mind, but I understand what you say completely.  The juxtaposition of seemingly incongruous images...absurdity?

I remember in acting class playing The Professor in "The Lesson" by Inonesco.  Talk about sordid.  "The knife!  The knife!"  Well, the professor stabs his pupil and she dies.  And life goes on.  The cycle repeats.  Absurd, horrible, and comic too.  

I've long forgotten my role in that acting exercise of decades ago.  But your comments have brought back how "black comedy" (which I tend to enjoy) can at once disgust and entertain!

Still, I must say that while I endorse REAL justice, I do not advocate murderous revenge at all, but I do understand what may motivate some amongst us to embrace it.

while I get where you are going Heslopian, I actually read this from a different direction, from the voice of a child.

Not even necessarily the girl as the narrator, but simply the narrator being a child. That gave it a totally different nuance for me.

Very interesting interpretation though... :)  

God, this feels like communication, in its best sense.  Love it and love you guys.  ~Brian