what the serpent said

how can a mere woman know
when knowledge and emotion
coexist not at all

easy prey
long past the need
to fear the dark

faith washed away
not by a logic or a method
or a handsome man
with a slick tongue

but by the relentless experience
of disappointment

this is eternity
welcome to it

like all she sought
to make herself whole
no quick fix
deaf ears in every direction

with a knowing smile
she justifies it easily enough

at least the serpent
feigned some concern