Kennedy Bigham, Class of Dec 2023, Religion, Classical Studies Minor, Salem, OR
I am Eve.
A woman with a past.
Haunted by the memory of a fruit forbidden.
One bite and I was sunk.
Destined to be a slave to sin.
Waiting for a wrong to be righted.
Awaiting a divine intervention.
Holy redemption.
Waiting.
Ruminating.
Praying.
Crying.
Aching.
My heart is heavy:
I listened to the serpent.
I betrayed the gardener.
I misled my lover.
I sat there wondering, “how could I possibly recover?”
The fruit, sweet at first, began to leave me feeling hungrier and hungrier.
I wanted more even though I knew it was poison to my flesh.
With scorn, I felt each bite tear into my skin. Every crunch, the stab of a thorn.
The poison of the snake sinking deeper into my bloodstream each time I return to the forbidden tree.
I don’t want to go. I try to run in opposite directions
and yet…I keep finding in this fruit are my affections.
The word “woman” begins to feel like rocks hurled at me
An insult bringing me back to initial sin.
The helper that failed.
A deceiving, temptress of a woman.
Causing the downfall of mankind.
Lending an ear to listen to the serpent who lied.
Eve.
Her name feels tied to mine.
Her redemption: tied to the vine.
My redemption: tied to her bloodline.
Her womb: an incubator for righteousness to come.
Eve.
A woman with a past.
Haunted by the memory of a fruit forbidden.
One bite and she was sunk.
Destined to be a slave to sin.
Waiting for a wrong to be righted.
Awaiting a divine intervention.
Holy redemption.
But, God was not done with her.
And holy redemption was indeed what followed.