After The First Bite Poem by Roger elkin

After the temptation
after Adam had done as Eve insisted
and the kiss she had burnt deep into his neck
had grown into apple – Adam’s apple

After all this and the knowledge of sex
the discovery of the tree in her hand
the wet flower in his
and the awareness of rooting
they attempted to hide

(It was a good job the fig leaf was handy
otherwise bachelor God would have been too embarrassed)

After God had grown anger
and turned them out of the gates
Adam went walking to hide his shame
and Eve sat weeping and weeping outside Paradise

She wept not for ambition – she was proud to have defied
she wept not for knowledge – was pleased to have found out
she wept because outside the gates not one flower had grown
for since the Fall there had only been the fall of snow
its depths a calendar of their fall from grace
and Eve had loved the flowers
that garden oh that garden

It was too much for God
He sent a messenger in search of her to comfort her

Attempting to get things into perspective
God’s messenger, being Yiddish, fell back on his resources
used words they cost nothing
used eyes they’d been there all the time
used hands they’d grown with him
(my God, how he used those hands)

It was then a snowflake fell
nestled on his upturned palm
and not wishing his hand to be wet
he breathed on it blew the snowflake to the ground
and there it rooted

Eve lifted eyes and smiled
“snowdrop” “snowdrop”
She knew she’d win through she’d survive
and God turned away to save his face