Under This Tree - A Poem About Freedom

Come, sit with me under this tree

It is the Tree of Knowledge Of Good and Evil

Yes, that tree, the one that Adam and Eve ate from

The one that God warned them about

The one that made them die

Only they did not really die

 But they learned something

Their eyes were opened

They realized they were naked and were ashamed

They began to understand right and wrong 

And how to judge each other

Now we all die in that way

We all know right and wrong

We all face the burden of shame and guilt

We all judge each other, and ourselves
It is unavoidable

At least that is what they tell us

But what if they are wrong?

What if they’re not telling us the whole story? 

What if we are not condemned to their fate?

What if each new day, we sit at the foot of this same tree

And can decide whether or not to partake? 

What if you and I, right now, can choose not to eat 

From The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? 

What if we can resist the knowledge of right and wrong?

What if we can avoid the judging?

And the shame?

 And the guilt?

Come, sit with me under this tree, 

and let us find out together. 

Let us turn away from this tree toward another

It is The Tree of Life

It can make us like God

It can provide eternal life

It is this tree that God really does not want us to eat from

At least that is what they tell us

But what if they are wrong?

Come, sit with me under this tree.