Exotica

[tectak]

I've been reading this piece several times but find it hard to convey my thought due to the sensitive nature of the issue. I personally do not believe that a sexual predator can ever be "reformed" as pedophilia is a matter of social norm and the ever changing society moral views and not a biological one (a look at DSM V is suffice for a conclusion). But for the sake of this poem, I can say that the last stanza doesn't really make any sense. The change of mind (literally as stated in the poem) is just to sudden and out of nowhere after all the gradual built up that rocketed high beyond the cloud and into cosmic level.

In short, the last stanza is a case of "politically correct" at work. If you really wish to write controversial topic, doing it halfhearted isn't going to help your case.

Hi None,
Yes, I hear you. The story as told was surprising for two reasons. The first is the reason you found it so...the second is that this is reportedly what happened in reality.
I think it is important  to take the poetry away from whatever labels we (and I include myself) pin on this "perpetrator". This case was remarkable because there were two victims and he was one. The girl in the poem was never identified in the story when it was related but you should know that the "predator" turned himself in without disclosing the names , if he ever knew them, or the numbers, of his victims. One questions both the motivation for the predation AND the reason why the guy went to the authorities and told his story. To the best of my recall, paedophilia was never mentioned but his initial conviction used the term "minor". I believe the case was around 1997-98. Has the law changed since then? I do not know.
Of course, my source of information here is third or fourth hand and whatever other "details" I may have been given are lost....so the poem is very restricted to the peculiarity of the circumstance....which is, in fact, your point.
Many thanks for reading the piece. I could make it longer....but that would be making it up.
Best,
tectak