The bad idea is not known to infect any other species other than humans, among whom it is communicable through language and violence.
but during training they found i have an extraordinary memory i am able to hold entire books in my mind
they tested my accuracy precision and capacity with numbers strength dexterity vision
and my knowledge of astronomy they put me in 20g
in a sensory deprivation tank and into freefall
they starved me suffocated me irradiated me with glasses of metallic-tasting liquid isotopes
but at no point was i asked to read anything more difficult than eye charts
one test never happened
they kept me locked in an empty waiting room all day an honest mistake they said
i think that was the test
the waiting room didn’t even have a magazine
i could have screamed but i wanted this mission
at no point was i asked to write anything
the subject of my poetry never came up.