Experiments With Consciousness

Cleve chews his salad thoughtfully,
as a man of science should,
decides on an experiment.

Hooking his Dracaena to his polygraph,
thinking - could I burn it? He leaves
to fetch matches, the needle scratches furiously.
Considering the evidence before him
Cleve concludes to put the matches down,
the needle falls still.

A criminologist by trade,
an agent for the CIA,
Cleve thinks the impossible -
can plants really think?
Could they pick
a culprit in a line-up?

He decides on an experiment.
One poor student draws the short straw,
has to kill a Calathea.
All plants participating identify the criminal.
Silent incrimination follows him
for the rest of the module.

Cleve Backster

Cleve's Siamese was a picky eater.
Fresh chicken in the fridge to heat for her.
Curious, Cleve decides to do an experiment
hooks up his yoghurt,
it too responds to the chicken's reheating
screaming.

Cleve now takes a dozen eggs,
attaches them individually.
He gently cups one, inserts it in the water.
The water softly boils,
the egg rattling round the beaker.
Expecting the result -
the needle's path stretched like a scream.
Instead, the eggs on verification go into group hypnosis,
a comatose sedation.

One day the plants, flat lining for the afternoon
become hysterical
as a kettle is poured down a rarely used sink.

Cleve does an experiment. Brine shrimp
randomly dropped in hot water,
to replicate his findings, Cleve needs
to replicate his findings.

Cleve wonders if veggies would ever eat veggies
if they knew they could feel.

Cleve worries they'll laugh ,
treat his work with derision.
No professorship,
no research grant,
no book, no lectures.
The plants are showing signs
of agitation.
Cleve decides to do an experiment,
as a man of science should.