Expulsion from the Garden of Eden recast in Taoist thought

Adam and Eve, happy as fleas in a doghouse
Glacial, this garden,
without self-determination
The mother serpent said it was good

When Eve took
the fruit from the tree with roots that go up as well as down,
like a nervous system,
like arteries from the heart;
it was a flea that jumped
from the rotting flesh of the giant

Now we swim in the many rivers of earth,
still together, inseparable

The lover yearns to unite with their empty spaces
The child yearns to eat the cyanide pips
The river yearns to spill into the sea

But we never left

There are only beginnings
for the unborn


I know that this poem doesn’t make much sense. You may think it’s absurd, or offensive even. I wrote it as a thought-experiment from the point of view of someone who has catholic roots, only to become uprooted at the age of fourteen. (I stayed seated during communion; I simply refused to join my classmates in the queue to receive the sacrament.)

Over the years, I have called myself agnostic, atheist, and now I use the wide term spiritual. Like many spiritual Westerners, my spiritualism is a pick-and-mix of Eastern influences, my main beliefs being shaped by Taoism and Zen Buddhism in particular. Almost everything I know about these ancient traditions comes from Western translations and adaptations, which have been accused of being reductive.

So, this poem is a product of that. Everything that resonates with you, and everything that you object to in this poem, is part of the experience of the poem. Thanks for trying to understand!

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Responses

  1. Layla Todd Avatar
    Layla Todd

    I love how this piece reads like a stream of consciousness and the striking thoughts it arrives at! ❤

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Conny Avatar
      Conny

      Thank you, Layla! I love reading your thoughtful comments. I really appreciate it.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Bartholomew Barker Avatar
    Bartholomew Barker

    Love “the tree with roots that go up as well as down” Well done!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Conny Avatar
      Conny

      Thank you, Bartholomew.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Dominic Alapat Avatar
    Dominic Alapat

    Loved reading this poem Conny! Your take on the Adam and Eve story is so refreshing! ‘The child yearns to eat the cyanide pips’ is a mindblowing line!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Conny Avatar
      Conny

      Thank you, Dominic. I really like that line too!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Dominic Alapat Avatar
        Dominic Alapat

        Hmmm. My pleasure Conny!

        Liked by 1 person

  4. seekingdivineperspective Avatar
    seekingdivineperspective

    I know a number of people who began with a Catholic upbringing who now would not call themselves Christian. But before you rule out Jesus, you may want to look at a few Catholic traditions neither Jesus nor His disciples ever endorsed. In fact, there is evidence in Scripture of the opposite. I hope you’ll prayerfully check it out and maybe consider Jesus again…

    http://seekingdivineperspective.com/2022/11/04/are-you-praying-to-the-wrong-person/
    http://seekingdivineperspective.com/2022/11/11/are-you-praying-to-the-wrong-person-part-ii-saints/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Conny Avatar
      Conny

      Thank you! I’m always curious to learn more.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Eternal Anglo Seax (ᛋᛠᛉ) Avatar
    Eternal Anglo Seax (ᛋᛠᛉ)

    It’s lovely, and makes sense enough to me, I think. Really, though- well worded. I’d be glad to hear more of your thoughts. I’ll leave a link to something of my own. https://spergbox.wordpress.com/2021/12/31/ode-to-the-perennial-sophia/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Conny Avatar
      Conny

      Oh, thanks so much!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Eternal Anglo Seax (ᛋᛠᛉ) Avatar
        Eternal Anglo Seax (ᛋᛠᛉ)

        My pleasure!

        Liked by 1 person

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