I speak. The vast expanse of the Ethers unfurls.
As an opened carpet, an unrolled blanket,
The stars and the galaxies unwind.
A word and the darkness is struck
By the penetrating relief of an unbearable, shameless and glorious light.
It’s not a light.
It’s much more.
Its presence is ubiquitous.
It lingers.
Like a shock wave.
A moment, an eternal moment,
Lingers.
As the stars take shape from gargantuan fields of gases.
As galaxies collect in the dark expanses.
Light has entered the void,
Reaching out into its furthest recesses.
As planets join and mould
Like a biological plaything
It becomes blinding.
A matter of time, though time does not matter.
There!
Can you see it?
As a whisper in a crowd of celestial angels,
As a twinkling reflection of light within a grain of sand along an ocean beach.
There!
Along the edge of what we have created,
Lies a planet.
Just a little, beautiful and precious rock.
It’s perfect.
We will make this their home
‘Is it suitable?’ I ask.
‘It’s perfect!’ I cry.
I descend upon the rock.
I contemplate.
I speak.
Water is formed.
It wells up from the depths of the land.
Chaos!
The little planet erupts.
Its entire face erupts.
Water gushes forth and fills the places driven in by celestial wanderers.
Until the planet is covered over by water.
I speak.
The land collects and rises up into the sea like crumpled paper.
I speak.
Growth springs up.
Until the land is covered green.
Glory!
Nothing of the sort ever before beheld in the Ethers.
‘It’s like home,’ I hear whispered.
‘Not yet,’ I cry.
I contemplate.
I speak.
Beings crawl up.
The most glorious of beings.
Their size difference, as the diversity of the stars above.
It is beautiful.
‘It is like home,’ I hear whispered.
‘Not yet,’ I cry.
Contemplating, I speak.
Another being comes to life.
This one is different.
He is special.
He is glorious in a way unique to the others.
I speak.
Life enters him.
‘Life like ours.’
He is beautiful and he will be my child.
This day, I have begotten him. I love him and will protect him. I descend upon the home I have created for him in bodily form.
We talk.
Every day he speaks to me.
It brings me such joy.
Just to get to know my child.
Even he, though I have created him, is a mystery to me
All I desire,
In the midst of all this I have created,
Is to learn about my child.
‘Tell me the desires of your heart, son.
I will make them true.’
Still, after a time, I notice a sadness in my son’s eyes.
At first, he is silent.
He doesn’t want to hurt me.
Gently, even knowing, I encourage him to be honest with me.
‘I desire more,’ he whispers.
‘Tell me, son, what else could you desire?
You have everything you have wished for.
Tell me, what can I do for you,
I will make it true.’
He awakens from his sorrow, looks into my eyes.
‘I desire another friend.
One more like me.’
I whisper,
‘Of all the creatures I have made, do you not see one who could be your friend?’
I am stifling my tears.
Son, I desire to be your friend!
‘I have not!’ he cried.
I contemplated.
An idea!
My son will surely approve of me now!
I waited for my child to sleep
And I took a part of him and from this,
I created one, very similar.
Only contrary.
A complementary contrary.
She, too, was beautiful and I delighted in her.
Maybe, through the heart of this helper,
I will win the heart of my son.
‘It’s like home,’ I heard whispered.
‘Not yet,’ I cried.
‘Bone of my bone!
Flesh of my flesh!’
I watched in delight as my son woke to see what I had done for him.
He praised me.
Together, they praised me.
The celestial affairs put on hold,
The attention of angels,
And my own undivided attention
Was upon this innocent and precious pair.
But even heaven’s glance shied away for an instant,
The moment these two became intimate.
What joy it brought me to see my children unite in love.
For a moment, my heavens were accessible to them.
My children, I long to give you this feeling always!
‘It’s like home,’ I heard whispered.
‘Not yet,’ I cried.
Silently, stepping back, the partner, the woman grew large.
It was how I had created them.
It brought me joy when she gave birth to a child.
I watched, delighting as the family grew more and more united.
Like a little heaven.
The perfection was glorious.
The angelic host resounded in cries of triumph.
‘It’s like home,’ I heard whispered.
‘Not yet,’ I cried.
Taking the man aside,
I whispered in his ear,
Walking together,
Side by side,
Under some trees in the garden.
I said, ‘Of everything available to you, son,
You must resist only from this one thing.
You ask, my child and it manifests reality immediately.
All I ask, is that you do not express your love for your child
In the way that you know your partner.
It is a different kind of love that they need.
They need to be protected,
Provided for,
Blessed.
I have seen the confusion that will arise if this happens.
The child will become overwhelmed
And on an island,
To navigate this confusion, completely alone.
You must promise that you will treat your child
Like I have respected you.
With the same love that I have shown you,
Show your child.’
The man was visibly moved and disturbed.
‘You must also tell your partner what I have said. This is essential.’
Lowering his head, he nodded earnestly.
And so, I left them.
All was wonderful, the angelic host rejoices.
I took a step back.
Heaven’s glance was forced away,
I was forced to lower my gaze.
Watching ashamedly, from a distance,
The man’s partner violating the commandment I had given them.
The angelic host, crying, ‘Mercy! Mercy!’
For a time following, all again seemed well.
I thought I wouldn’t say a thing.
I thought she had learned how detestable it was.
After a time, again,
The angelic host on the verge of rejoicing,
Heaven’s glance was forced away.
Even I was forced to look away.
This time, both the man and the woman violating my law and this child.
Still, I resolved to say nothing.
‘Mercy!’
I took another step backwards.
My own pain was unbearable.
‘Will you tell them?’ I heard voices whisper.
‘Will you tell them what they have done?’
“Not yet,’ I cried.
I took another step backwards.
One day, I returned to my children.
I paced for a while in the trees of the garden.
No one could be seen.
I waited for my son to return.
I knew he would return.
Heaven’s glance was forced away.
My own heart leapt!
I see my children!
They had fashioned little coverings for their intimate parts.
I contemplated.
It was an opportunity to speak to the man about what had been done.
I called his attention from the shelter of the shade of the tree.
They noticed me and drew near.
I asked him about the covering.
‘I felt shame, so I fashioned it.’
‘Who told you to feel shame?’ I feigned surprise.
‘What have you done? Have you violated my commandment? Have you eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?’
The man lowered his head, summoned his partner from behind him.
‘She, the one you made for me, deceived me.’
‘Is it true?’ I asked the woman.
‘I also was deceived. A creature I had never seen here before, something like a serpent, deceived me.’
I contemplated.
I spoke.
‘Because you have done this,
You must leave the garden where I dwell.
You must now work for your survival.
All the world’s forces will be against you.
Woman, you will experience pain in giving birth.’
The man and the woman gasped.
‘But, the child seems well. He is not hurt. I simply wanted to show him that I love him.’
I looked upon the two sternly, yet with love,
‘The effects of this cannot be seen now.
But the effects will perpetuate until the end of things.
A new child has all the hope in the universe.
We must not contaminate that hope.
He may not seem hurt.
Not every hurt is visible by the eyes.’
I contemplated.
I fashioned for them garments of animal skins and sent them away.
All of heaven was forced to look away
Yet I was forced to watch even closer.
Standing far back,
Unable to help,
Unable to interfere.
Yet, I watch.
Patient on the day when all will return to me,
Choosing me for me,
Laying aside this detestable abomination.
I watched in anguish as they stepped away.
Farther.
Farther.
Until they were out of sight.
‘The garden, it’s like home now,’ I heard whispered.
‘Not yet,’ I cried.
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