Eve

'companion to Adam"

All day desire whistled and hissed at me;

this persistent whisper, rake of unvoiced  

possibilities, aspirations …

obdurate and adamant … Sister …

no matter where I turned, try as I might,

these doubts harassed and hurried …  

Sister … thoughts until I thought

I might lose myself, mind

slipping and sliding towards a witless end.

Sister, sister … what’s your purpose …

Daughter, wife, mother

Shepherdess of life …

Yes! Absolutely! Shepherdess …

of life …  

Something I can call my own, cherish like

this apple … this apple, God forbids. 

Ken e Bujold 

Reviews

[Titilayo Sarah Eguridu]

Your words subtly pulled me in.
My mind strolls back to the garden of Eden where it all began.
I imagined the slithering serpent, and how it has lured women like a siren’s song over the years into complex situations.
Your words painted the past, the present and the future.
It left me wondering.
Thank you for sharing this powerful piece Ken.

[W. Barrett Munn]

The diction choices and musicality of this make it a pleasure to read; add in the whimsy and you get gold star material worthy of being used as a brooch for Eurydice.