After the Fall
Get out of my garden-- you serpent,
you slivering snake never to have wings
and fly away
Get out haughty body-- looks
The half closed eyes of a seductive dreamer
Lure me in?
You taught me language, and my profit on it
Is I know the crunchiness of love, the choking peeling scream
Of red blood love slipping down my fingers
Feeding the plants sorrow for breakfast
After such knowledge, what forgiveness?
Think now
History -- she is little better than a strawberry
A sweet vine, a tart really
That chokes the life out of everything
Now get out
Before you unclothe my flowers
And make my nasturtiums your salad.
posted by Bonnie B | 6:39 PM
14 Comments:
OKay, I am SUPER DUPER confused. Hopefully everybody's comments will enlighten me. OY VEY. I am a DORK I think that much is clear.
Nice extended apostrophe to the serpent- you are playing with the serpent's dual symbolism of wisdom/evil right?
Jodi-- It's Eve in the Garden of Eden meeting the serpent again-- he's evil and he's brought her all this knowledge that has caused her a lot of pain and misery-- I'll tell you in class I know you hate poetry
Amishav--you've got it on the button, but the serpent is so much more-- he's also a bloody sexual object-- because what poem would be any fun if there wasn't some sex thrown in for good measure-- sex, Genesis and I'll own up to it-- two other poets-- but I'll keep their names to myself
On second thought-- here are the darned poets-- Shakespear and T.S. Elliot. I thought Caliban was fitting for the Garden of Eden and Gerontion had a great line about knowledge and history.
what about Milton?? He wrote all about that in "paradise lost"! SEE, I know something...thanks to Ekins and Honors English. :)
Great comparisison to the serpent. We also have to thank him for causing eve to sin which caused us women to have to go through torture in child birth.
social worker-- you're right-- and that is the blood on her fingers-- only maybe the image is not so strong.
Jodi-- Nice thinking-- maybe, but I didn't return to Paradise Lost. You know, I probably should have. Maybe I'll do a rewrite and throw some in for good measure.
You can't know (recognize, appreciate, value) love without knowing pain, and vice versa.
What is a nasturtium?
socialworker/frustrated mom-- you know-- I have a bone to pick with that serpent-- I had three enormous babies-- I still can't look at a snake without a pang running up my back PTSD
ow. PTSD sounds nasty.
But look at your three beautiful, impish garden gnomes that add to the scenery..
PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder)
I love the gnomes
(I know; can't wait to romp with my own..)
babaloo--It's a flower-- some people use them in salads--
Isn't it a shame you can't feel love and happiness without feeling loss and pain-- good point! I totally meant to put it in my poem-- hehehe-- I just wrote it-- you all can figure it out. I wonder how many writers just write and listen to the masses and go "So that's what I meant-- o.k. now I get it."
No the image is strong enough.
Post a Comment
<< Home