—Photo by Katy Brown, Davis, CA
A GARDEN CALLED EDEN
—Allegra Silberstein, Davis
A girl child wandered among unicorns
and a myriad of flowers in a garden called Eden.
In a new place she had not seen before, she saw
a mysterious tree with fruit of red and gold.
Though there was a fence around it
she climbed it with ease.
I’ll call the fruit of this tree, apple,
she thought—then I will have one to eat.
She ate it all, even the seeds and the star within
and she became all womb...
a woman, a rider, boisterous and bold,
following a star within her now.
She left the garden far behind
but kept it in memory as her name...
within her the star, the seed.
Within her a quest only found in leaving.
—Allegra Silberstein, Davis
A girl child wandered among unicorns
and a myriad of flowers in a garden called Eden.
In a new place she had not seen before, she saw
a mysterious tree with fruit of red and gold.
Though there was a fence around it
she climbed it with ease.
I’ll call the fruit of this tree, apple,
she thought—then I will have one to eat.
She ate it all, even the seeds and the star within
and she became all womb...
a woman, a rider, boisterous and bold,
following a star within her now.
She left the garden far behind
but kept it in memory as her name...
within her the star, the seed.
Within her a quest only found in leaving.
(If you cut an apple in half horizontally you will see the star.)
________________________
Our thanks to Davisites Katy Brown and Allegra Silberstein for today's tasty morsels! More of Allegra's work will be appearing in the newest issue of Rattlesnake Press's WTF, which will be launching its seventh year this Thursday night at Luna's Cafe, 8pm. And then Allegra will be hosting The Other Voice in Davis on Friday at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Davis, 7:30pm, featuring Nancy Aidé González and Deborah Hickerson, plus open mic. Starting with today's readings in Placerville and Sacramento, this is a a very busy week in NorCal poetry; keep track of it all in the blue box (under the green box) at the right of this column.
_______________________
—Medusa, with apologies for Internet difficulties this morning.