Dan Guenther: The Editing Protocol

The Editing Protocol

Somewhere north of the equator
a researcher is messing with Creation’s coveted chalice,
editing a single fix in the known genome
of a human embryo and planting
it in the womb of an ape.

And somewhere on the same globe a geneticist,
paid by rich parents,
facilitates a cosmetic upgrade,
tinkering with genetic code that disrupts
the expected infant’s sacred design.

Their willingness to pay
was the most important metric
in the survey taken of their preferences,
although many were also upset their family trees
disclosed a legacy of addicts.

Someday, not too many years from now,
we will have a protocol
to patch the flaws of Creation in our home kitchen,
one as simple as slicing a tomato,
and carried out on the twisted path to our Salvation.

Dan Guenther