First parents
Patrick T. Reardon
.
Eve and Adam, the Bible’s Barbie and Ken,
lived in the Garden, a Dreamhouse of
empty echoing outdoor rooms, an
insipid Paradise, except for that tree from
a brother’s G.I. Joe jungle survival set, out of
place with the handwritten
sign “Don’t Touch!!!!!”
.
Eve was a blond Bardot, top-
heavy. Adam, sapless in his
childishness. The snake, a river of joyful rot
oozing into the Garden with perfumed stink.
.
No way anyone would be tricked by the bubbling
scum, blood and chemicals.
Eve held her nose to take a bite from the
rancid fruit.
.
Out of despair at the zipless Ken and their drear
Garden and the mindless lustless touchless nakedness.
.
She itched for a jolt of dread.
.
Patrick T. Reardon
11.19.21
This poem originally appeared in Meat for Tea, Volume 15, Issue 2, June, 2021
Written by : Patrick T. Reardon
For more than three decades Patrick T. Reardon was an urban affairs writer, a feature writer, a columnist, and an editor for the Chicago Tribune. In 2000 he was one of a team of 50 staff members who won a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory reporting. Now a freelance writer and poet, he has contributed chapters to several books and is the author of Faith Stripped to Its Essence. His website is https://patricktreardon.com/.
