TR Poulson
Cain Did Not Kill First

And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins
                             -Genesis 3:21

Eden must have felt hot to the creature, lured
by God from her mate, his ribs aching, still.
She romped on black paws, down paths
lined with stones and snags, to the naked man
for her name. She must have brushed his ribs
when she leaped into his lap-he, surprised
to touch her golden-brown fur, so smooth
even when pushed against the grain. Sable,
he breathed, and allowed his hands to linger
on her silky sides, before letting her go.

Later the man brought the woman fig leaves
to sew, his chin, and hers, stained with nectar'
knowing nothing of flesh, except living.

Did the sable even survive the trip home?
Or did her Creator follow her, atoning blade
in hand, to corner her in stones and take her skin?

<< return to the Table of Contents for New Series #11: Summer 2021, Volume 6 Number 1