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| by Lucas Cranach the Elder - 1536 - Public Domain |
The Garden
What was it like to be Adam and Eve
everything uncharted and unfamiliar
alone in the garden with new words
to fathom all with unfledged minds?
And how did they envision God
the rules He demanded of them
when everything was unknown
how did comprehension emerge?
And did they know it was God
who informed what they could not eat
or did they think He was but another man
who was different but equal to them?
What was it like to be Adam and Eve
to have to learn to love and plant
to harvest and caretake and name
and to know to trust and not to lie?
What would have happened if
the familiar story took another turn
if both Adam and Eve said No
and made the serpent turn away?
--and--
If the serpent had been thwarted,
where would we be today?
I was reading Gregory Orr's River Inside the River today.
He wrote some poems based on Genesis.
I decided to write my own.....for dVerse Open Link.
A question indeed.. But I have always thought the serpent made us human with all the bad, but also our wills and energy to create.. All complexity that make our life and purpse interesting,
ReplyDeletesome interesting whats and what ifs here...a good one Mary...
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of questioning texts we know so well and often take for granted. What I particularly like in yours is the question raised in the third stanza, 'did they know it was God'. I find it questions and addresses anyone's perception and understanding of who God is, not just Adam and Eve's.
ReplyDeleteYou ask an intriguing question. From the viewpoint of not knowing and newness, the rule seems capricious and the punishment cruel.
ReplyDeleteA good question....
ReplyDeleteHindsight is 20/20, will never know what would have occurred if they said no
ReplyDeleteA different journey I would imagine ~ There are choices we make and we live with that consequence ~ Good questions Mary ~
ReplyDeleteWow. Thoughtful ponderings. Had human nature started out strong, we might still be in the Garden. I enjoyed reading this, Mary.
ReplyDeletei often have wondered how it was to be in such a perfect paradise, entrusted with so much and so close to god as well... probably god knew what they would do...and had his plan back then already
ReplyDeleteI love what ifs and have often wondered what it would have been like to be able to roam freely in an unblemished garden surrounded with animals and unafraid. Great pondering here.
ReplyDeletethere is always "the rest of the story", how Christ forced Judas to betray him, & possibly God had a agenda, a master plan, so the serpent was just doing as instructed, activating man's free will.
ReplyDeleteI think, the serpent, like Judas served its part in all this. Just as there was the serpent and our fall, God had planned in the future, those thousands of years, for our return to the garden - Jesus the Christ. Thought provoking questions. God told them who He was and in their innocence, believed. they had no frame of reference for doubt. But still. questioning the familiar, asking different questions...all gives me pause today in my thinking of this familiar story. Hayes Spencer is Kanzensakura
ReplyDeleteWhat if ...?
ReplyDeleteOne thing is for sure, Mary; the world would be a very different place ... or would it? Surely, at some point we would have fouled up?
Interest 'what if' questions posed Mary.
ReplyDeleteA smart comment from Glenn and perhaps he is right. I don't know...
Anna :o]
PS: Should read: Interesting!
ReplyDeleteWell done Mary. Smiles...>KB
ReplyDeleteI so like this questioning, and my mind sort of goes down those paths. The pondering. As a philosophy professor once told me, it's the questioning not the answers themselves that matter. But I do disagree with him. Inquisitively.
ReplyDeleteThought provoking piece, Mary. I remember as a child, pondering on some of these questions.
ReplyDeleteBig questions... a lovely poem with lots to think about.
ReplyDeleteI love your poem here...beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHere's a quote by: Tom Hodgkinson
“If Adam and Eve were not hunter-gatherers, then they were certainly gatherers. But, then, consumer desire, or self-embitterment, or the 'itch,' as Schopenhauer called it, appeared in the shape of the serpent. This capitalistic monster awakens in Adam and Eve the possibility that things could be better. Instantly, they are cast out of the garden and condemned to a life of toil, drudgery, and pain. Wants supplanted needs, and things have been going downhill ever since. ”
― Tom Hodgkinson, The Freedom Manifesto
It seems like a long time, Mary 'the thwarted serpent' I like that idea Mary - hope to see you again on Sunday with my new piece... With Best Wishes
ReplyDeleteAh in that case, perhaps we will see a much better world today, had we taken that route? I must admit it's an interesting thought.
ReplyDeleteahh... what would it have been like is a good question
ReplyDeleteperhaps mankind would be content, good question. it proves the point that from the start it's the woman who runs the show :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting thoughts..I have wondered what that garden might have been like..a perfect paradise before temptation. I guess that is our human fault...we try, but sometimes fall short.
ReplyDeleteOne feels happy in Paradise with no worries no work no motivation no challenges nor sense of achievements just lazing around. Wonder if many would subscribe to this? Thoughtful lines Mary!
ReplyDeleteHank
I think it is a great fable that teaches us all a great lesson. The world isn't perfect and it is full of both positive things and negative things. This is because temptations can seem very intriguing and it is human nature to explore options. The important lesson to be learned from this is to shy away from temptations that may cause negative effects in the end. Personally I think the world is full of all kinds of checks and balances, and it is up to use to decide which way that balance leans. If Eve hadn't eaten the fruit of knowledge, then how would she have learned anything at all. It is okay to make mistakes.
ReplyDeleteNot something I've ever really contemplated. Just to be two in this great world , with no legacy of learning and culture , no-one to help or comfort - I guess that would be rather frightening.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful consideration of the Creation myth, Mary - loved the unfledged minds - wonderful!
ReplyDeleteExcellent question, Mary...we'd still be living in Paradise! Thank God there's a way for us and all creation to be restored.
ReplyDeleteInteresting questions, Mary. However, it's hard to believe that the snake (or some other temptation) would not prevail as "the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise" before she tasted the fruit. And what would we be like without curiosity, without the desire to explore the unknown? Very different cats, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thoughts and nice verse. Peace, Linda
ReplyDeleteSee...how we curious about what if....this is the root of all problems.... :)x
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! I've sometimes wondered how things would be distant if Adam and Eve had said "no" too!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. All great questions.
ReplyDeleteExcellent! There are so many what-ifs and this is perhaps one of the more elemental question.
ReplyDelete~Prajakta
What if....really it becomes weird, isn't it!
ReplyDeleteOn one hand, everything is ordained. And yet it all began with a choice.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary - thought provoking indeed. Just the thing to ponder over the weekend.
If the serpent had been thwarted….interesting question to contemplate.
ReplyDeletea poignant question
ReplyDeleteA lot of questions I, myself, cannot fathom, Mary. Very philosophical & indeed, thought-provoking. You have certainly stretched my mind with this poem, & glad you did. Smiles.
ReplyDelete- ksm
We can only imagine ... we would never know for sure :-)
ReplyDelete"What was it like to be Adam and Eve" - you pose a very interesting question, Mary. I suppose, in every life, there is the endless possibilities of events unfolding in many, many different ways. Of course, in the story of Adam and Eve this reality, echoes for all humankind.
ReplyDeletethought provoking verse
ReplyDelete