Afterthoughts of Eden
by Elton Glaser
Why the snake? And why not
A monkey in the apple tree?
Or would that imply a God
With a hint of humor and some
Tolerance for hairy shenanigans,
Not the pissed-off parent we find
In the rest of the testament?
And would that tree then have to Hang with long bananas, perhaps
Even a greater temptation for Eve?
There’s a mess of questions that cry
For answers the canon can’t provide.
Maybe God just liked the look of evil,
Those coils and loops that clung
More tightly than a primate’s tail.
Maybe He feared the imp that animates
All that scratch and chatter, more like
A vaudeville sketch than tragedy.
I prefer the monkey myself, closer to
What we’ve all become, giddy kin
With the yips and a sly tongue,
Offering us a fall we can’t refuse.