What if Eve, eyeing the
red lusciousness of the apple,
feeling the tightening twist of desire
and the yawning chasm of hunger
Had felt so at-One with God,
so grateful for long evening walks
and the trust that cements belonging,
that Love, the compass, kept pointing her true north.
Perhaps she could have paused,
drawing full breath into her earthy frame,
locking her wise eyes with the snakey glint of temptation,
and said cooly, “I see what you did there” and
“no thanks.”
I like so much about this poem: its use of Biblical imagery; its recognition of the true way to overcome temptation, feeling at-One with God; its title; its wise, assertive Eve. Our tradition makes good use of the term “the second Adam” to indicate the being who has overcome the world, but this is the first I’ve seen of “the second Eve.” I’m glad she’s shown up at last. Thank you!