What if it was Adam ate the apple
and in retelling, told it slant?
The tale recorded by scribes of men
with etching tools and papyrus
rewriting Eve into a sin—
the temptress who led her mate astray
and cursed us all till kingdom come.
The mother of mothers forged
into the witch of Salem, the shrew of literature,
the feminine mystique placed on high
but denied the pen to record it straight.
But what if Adam ate the apple?
A rogue deceptor, a muscle man,
who climbed the tree
who shook the limb
who took a bite
and smiled it good.
April is poetry month and Poets and Storytellers is helping to kick it off. An ode to trees, here with a slant, and linked to dVerse , the pub where poets hang out.
28 comments:
Nice - classic imagery indeed! Interesting take on this narrative as well.
Thanks Ollie! This one was percolating for a while.
Enjoyed..
I wonder sometimes (well more often these days) of the apple or even the apple tree’s point of view.
I loved the questions this piece asks us to wrestle with directly as well as the larger indirect questions it poses about who are the ones telling us the stories and what narratives they want us to accept.
Impactful as always!
"history is told by the winners" is a quote that comes to mind with this!
I'm with Jemi, men wrote it down, we hope as God directed.
..
Maybe he did. We're told that *in Adam* all die...
We will just have to ask if we get the chance.
Excellent questions! It seems all too likely.
Anthony,
Indeed, if only they could talk!
Rommy,
Thanks for commenting.
Jemi,
Hi! and thanks, an interesting quote.
Jim,
Yes, men did. Thank you.
Priscilla,
I wonder....thanks.
Debi,
Thanks for commenting.
Rosemary,
So it seems to me. Thank you.
Adam was born with free will. No one made him eat the apple ..his choice.The blame game denotes lack of integrity and a weak character
The age old conundrum----Adam, the apple, and the asp!!!
A great twist to the Biblical tale....having Adam climb the tree to get the apple and just chomp down and eat it. Maybe Eve wasn't even nearby. Maybe she was off amongst the ferns doing her own thing? Ah the mind can start replaying this....
This is definitely a 'thought provoking' bit of poetry .... going to sit and ponder the Adam and apple and Eve story a while.
I think this poem might start a spirited conversation in certain circles! I want to be there!
Nice idea!
Good question and I would argue Eve was write to feed her family. Adam made the story a sin.
Interesting post Yvonne. Bigger question, what if there were no apple, no snake, no garden — what if it is all just fantasy? Hmmmm... What then?
Rall,
Yeah, the old stickler free will. Thanks for commenting!
IndiBev,
The three A's! I'd love to sit down in a circle with all of you!
Lillian,
Thank you so much. That's the image I had in my mind towards the end, him just a-chomping down. Maybe Eve was all in the grass weaving flowers into a headdress. Maybe.....
Helen,
I've often wondered about some of these old bible stories. Thank you for weighing in.
Mefeedyoume,
Thank you and nice name!
Colleen,
Yeah...I'm thinkin' Thanks.
Rob,
Thank you so much. And, yes, a bigger question. What if??
I always thought Eve got a bad rap for that - beginning centuries of patriarchal society.
Sherry,
Hi,
I know...as I've gotten older I've learned to question these old biblical stories.
Interesting "What If" scenario. Looking at it from a different point of view (or from a defense attorney)
Joel,
I like exploring alternative ways of looking at something. What if? Why not? I know I'm out on a limb here but we were supposed to be exploring the tree theme! Thanks so much for coming over here and leaving a comment.
I've always been suspicious of times when the written word seemed to belong only to men (at least, in the open). How can anyone know that there wasn't any bias, or even deception? What if the main characters of stories of old weren't the ones who did the deed, indeed... How would all that have affected who we are as a people?
Such thought provoking questions, Yvonne!
I like your what-if approach to an old, familiar story.
Magaly,
Thank you so much. I'm glad I'm not the only one questioning the age-old stores told by men.
MMT,
Thanks! What-ifs roam around in my head and sometimes need release.
I think you might be correct with Eve "denied the pen to record it straight." :) I really like the question "what if" in your poem because it challenges the status quo.
Khaya,
Thank you. Women have been deprived of pen and voice (and vote) from the beginning of time until the 20th century. I'm glad you were here.
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