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Leaving Eden

in preparation

Leaving Eden

When Adam named the animals, he gazed about delighted.
With all but one identified, he felt a quiet glow of pride
And hoped he'd been far-sighted.

The animals knew a thing or two,
From aardvark through to wallaroo,
Each creature sensed what it should be
And roamed through Eden safe and free.

'A useful roster' beamed the Lord, 'in case of inundation!
Then one might call them, two by two, aboard some sort of floating zoo
For swift evacuation...

The animals knew a thing or two,
The zebra back to caribou,
Each creature sensed what it should be,
At home in natural history.

For forty days they would abide and drift into the distance,
But once the land was firm and dry they could go forth and multiply
In cautious co-existence...

The animals knew a thing or two,
The animals knew just what to do,
Each creature sensed what it should be
To live in perpetuity.

Bewildered, Adam held his tongue, his task not yet completed:
He named the serpent last of all, that crouched beside the waterfall
And thought itself ill-treated.

The animals knew a thing or two,
The animals knew just what to do,
Each creature sensed what it should be,
And shunned the one Forbidden Tree.

The serpent was a mystery, its grievances extensive:
It liked to have long chats with Eve about the stories we believe,
And why rules are offensive.

The animals knew a thing or two,
The animals knew just what to do,
All creatures sensed what they should be
Save Eve and Adam'sprogeny.

And thus the catalogue was done, the beasts all designated,
And we would learn what Knowledge meant, and how to bear the discontent
For which we were created.

The animals know a thing or two,
The animals know just what to do,
Each creature merely seeks to be,
And live on, innocent and free.

©Nick Nye February 2019.

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