Seeing the women

Throughout the season of Lent, I’m hoping to reflect on women in the Bible - named, unnamed, known and hidden...

Genesis 3:1-7

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Mother Eve

who carried within her

the seed of all humanity
and the fruit 
of all the earth

who bore on her shoulders

the weight of sin

manifest in the pain 
of broken relationships
and in constantly having to
tamp down her wit
and her enthusiasm
and her instinctual knowing
in the fear that she might just
outshine others.
As she fell for the serpent’s smooth talking

as she bit into the fruit

as her eyes were opened

to the wisdom of the gods

as she shared that wisdom with her mate

did she regret

even for an instant

her desire

to claim the fruit of knowledge

for her

and all her offspring?

Or, like countless sisters

who followed her

generation after generation

did she know

that a woman’s love

carried with it

guilt

and shame

and blame

Vulnerability

and loss

demanding everything

promising nothing

yet choosing to

give her all anyway

even under the weight
of silence.