Tag Archives: garden of eden

The Days of Eden ended

not because of the woman Eve

who ate of its fruits;

but  because of toxic masculinity

which made rules to reign her in.

Who gives abundance

only to test restraint ?

Her generosity of spirit,

her willingness to share,

her offer to feed her mate

cannot be the cause of man’s downfall.

Was it the shock of her greater

courage, curiosity, generosity and love

which pushed man over the edge?

Images of him dragging her by the hair,

cudgel in his hand to beat her

into submission, as her screams rend the air

are still with us today.

Women are still forced to cover their hair,

lest they lead men astray.

Women work the soil in our gardens 

until we are covered in dirt

and mud stains our clothes

and seeps between our toes.

We stand and stretch admiring the roses

then head inside to shower and clean

our naked bodies, and wash seeds

and other debris out of our hair.

How good it feels to be washed clean

inside and out, away from man’s glare.

How lovely the gardens we tend

all over the world, where men continue to tell

us we must suffer for our sins 

and bear children in pain to remove the stain

of our sexuality, all for man’s gain.

I love my garden, I do.

But I would have loved Eden, too.

But, man, fearful, foolish man

threw it all away.