“The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” (Book of Genesis)
The Testament of Eve
In the beginning, I was alive.
Breath. Hunger. Warmth. Pulsations of colour and movement. My senses, all new. Grassy greens, blistering sunshine and multi-coloured blooms drenched my eyes. Deep blue oceans swelled and crashed into my freshly formed ears. Birds sang to me. The wind pushed pathways through the trees above me, caressing me, leading me onwards until the deepest black and silvery night edged across the sky and covered me in sleep. Then I awoke. Another day and then another. The world breathing incessantly. In and out. Dark and light. Land and sea. Everything distinct. Exquisite clarity as I closed my eyes each time.
I awoke to find a creature looking back at me. His eyes close to mine. His mouth gently moving, so beautiful. I inhaled his sweet breath. But you are not free, he whispered. I looked at my outstretched fingers, my feet pressing into the ground, my legs poised to run. What does it mean, not free?
He dedicated his gaze to me. I wanted to look elsewhere, to move but the world around us had become distant.
Eat from the tree, he said.
Eat from the tree and I would surely die, I thought. I remembered this and as I did so a spark of fire grew inside me. The world outside dismantled.
If you eat from the tree you will surely not die, he said.
Shivers became convulsions and they rocked something free. New life erupted inside me and a world opened up. A universe. Faster than light. Deeper than space. Warmer than the sun. Endless constellations of excitement, anticipation, guilt.
Eat from the tree, he said, and you will see.
Locked inside, I wanted to see. I took the fruit and I did eat. I tried to fill my deep hunger, taking in vast amounts of the outside. I ate and ate and I saw. I saw that night is part of day, that land is part of the sea, that good is part of evil. I saw that death is now part of life.
I will surely die, that is clear. When my children are born they will have their death already inside, as their children and their children’s children will have death born inside them. And we will all surely live.
wow – this packs a punch! I’m doing a project about death and it certainly resonates with a lot of material I’ve uncovered. But the image is so softly seductive in comparison – which I love.
Terrific Tony : and Andree’s image is perfect for the piece. Love both. Congratulations. How can one see the rest of the book?
Thank you for letting me in on this….
I see your creativity flowing freely still and that’s wonderful.
Wonderful, just wonderful. Both the writing and the image to accompany it are top-notch!
Nice work! Tony, the images remind me of the fantastic video work you showed with me all those years ago. And love the passion of the text and the power play and the final lines are my total preoccupation at the moment. It’s an age thing! Much love.
biblical, of course, baroque, fluid, erotic, dark and light. All my favourite combinations . Buttons pressed and i am left wanting a little more . I would say thats a successful collaboration .