I seem drawn to Old Testament stories, so here's another one.
my grandfather walked out of Eden
just as it kicked off
all that casting out of paradise
that angel with a flaming sword
grandfather said it looked impressive
in a peevish kind of way
he always claimed
the trouble with that sort of history
was the tendency to focus on the famous
those they had the skinny on
and not him offspring of Lilith
the first wife
the one no one speaks of
or all the others
lost to time now
who were quietly getting on with their lives
while this angry god psychodrama
played out around them
my grandfather walked out of Eden
we are still walking
the world is large
there is room for all
It came from the first line which bounced about my head for a couple of days before it wrote the poem. Lilith is, according to some sources, the first wife of Adam. When I was at school I could never get my head around the idea that we all came from Eve and Adam. Later I realised that myths, like metaphor, wilt under close scrutiny. I still don't like the idea of casting people out. There's too much of it going on today.
I leave you with Jezebel by Iron and Wine. Another much maligned woman.
Until next time.