The Naming
She had never seen fruit from That Tree on the ground
on the tree they were all apples, all green
this apple seemed to grow as she watched
turning color green to red to golden
turning shape apple to pear to plum
in each change shriveling first, decaying into a dark mush
she had not seen before either
Eve thought of picking it up but remembering the curse
walked away three times, four times
before coming back at last to pick it up
on an impulse new to her as well
for which she had no name
but recalling how she and Adam had named the beasts
one at a time, each in all its newness
how they struggled with what each newness brought about in them
thought-and- feeling, then the naming word-blessing,
saw it was the same with this strange shape-shifting fruit –
why was it here forbidden and there demanded?
They had touched each animal before the naming
feeling quickness in the lion and the hawk
weighted patience in the elephant and the cow
she held the strange fruit, thinking they had never bothered
to name the fruit of any other tree, only picked and ate
this fruit moved in her hand like a small bird
twitching and humming, vibrating
as with other namings she watched the inner currents
the fruit provoked, each unique as with the animals
but with an odd doubling as if fruits were both blessing and curse
she saw cities rise and fall
saw men fighting, killing each other without the naming
she and Adam went through at every meeting even with each other
saw herself and Adam long without the naming
heavy, old, wearing out, digging in a narrow field where little grew
saw all things throw off their blessing-only names
The Dog Star 
One Response to “The Naming”
What a great poem! The forbidden fruit not only as the shedding of innocence, but also as a prophecy of what is to become of mankind. The last line is particularly effective.