The Family Man
A poem about a dark creator
The Family Man, they call him,
The engineer of entire lives.
A diverse array of talents, his.
He can make fathers, siblings, wives.
They’d email in commissions,
Request the family they desire.
“We want three sons, one an Olympian,”
“How much do you cost to hire?”
At first he’d create them lovingly,
Spend hours on their design.
A freckle here, a violinist there,
“Wow! Thank you for this family of mine!”
Until his own were murdered,
Struck down right there in the street.
He charges more per package now,
He programmes all the wives to cheat.
The kids are installed with illnesses,
Hidden until the warranty has run out.
The eldest comes with added aggression,
The youngest is riddled with self-doubt.
During lunch he sits in the darkness,
And sobs into his cold flask of tea.
Then back to work, loads up the screen,
Makes a child who’ll soon slaughter three.
The Family Man, they call him,
The manufacturer of a nuclear home,
And unlike most weapons and explosives,
These families will blow up on their own.
About the Creator
em
I’m a writer, a storyteller, a lunatic. I imagine in a parallel universe I might be a caricaturist or a botanist or somewhere asleep on the moon — but here, I am a writer, turning moments into multiverses and making homes out of them.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Comments (22)
Giving new meaning to "the nuclear family", creativity, free will, theodicy & simply giving up. Powerful commentary on the human condition & its present state.
Incredible
it's a good one
It starts off with a sense of wonder and admiration for the Family Man’s ability to create families but an interesting shift to one of sadness and despair as the Family Man’s own family is murdered and he begins to create flawed families.
i like it
Oh, wow! This is great. I love the veering toward the dark side it took. Also - the line "A freckle here, a violinist there" made me smile so much. Congrats on the Top Story!
awesome , please give a read to my article too . much love
Beautiful
Beautiful Poetry
Great poetry with deep meaning nice job . Any one can read my motivational and funny stories if you want I am sure you will like them
Incredible work!
That was a dark but thoroughly enjoyable read!
Loved this dark and disturbing poem! Very cool!
That was classic ! Felt like " Father Knows Best " goes off the deep end - lol. Thank you have a new subscriber 😊
Congratulations on your Top Story😉✨🎉🎯
Oh that was so dark and cool!
Impressive!
Incredible 👏🏼
Well done!
Very well written and the darkness is palpable. Great job!
Outstanding!! ❤️
Wow! I love this. Dystopian poetry just became my new favourite genre. I also love that the rhyme and metre is so perfect.