Mitochondrial Eve is the most recent woman from whom all living humans
today descent, in an unbroken line, on their mother’s side, and through
the mothers of those mothers, and so on, back until all lines converge
on one woman, who is estimated to have lived approximately 100,000–
200,000 years ago.
Adam and Eve had the whole
Garden of Eden to themseves.
Well yes, there was a pesky snake.
It needed rodents for its lunch;
birds singing in trees, spreading seeds
from fruit they ate;
bees pollinating fruit trees;
worms turning the soil;
there must have been flowers because
it was the Garden of Eden.
God didn’t want the first two to think
about Good and Evil,
but Eve tasted fruit, wondered, and
ever since the story’s been told
to suggest woman’s curiosity’s
the source of sin. But she
likely figured out how to make
applesauce by mid-afternoon.
— Liane Ellison Norman
Liane Ellison Norman’s new book of poetry, Way Station, will be issued by Finishing Line Press in the fall of 2016. Finishing Line Press also published her Driving Near the Old Federal Arsenal. She has published poems in the North American Review, Kestrel, The Fourth River, 5 AM, Grasslimb, Rune, Hot Metal Press and in Voices From the Attic and Come Together: Imagine Peace anthologies. Norman won the Wisteria Prize in 2006 from Paper Journey Press. She has published two books of poetry, The Duration of Grief and Keep, a biography, a novel and many articles, essays and reviews. Many writers featured in Chapter & Verse are guests of Prosody, produced by Jan Beatty and Ellen Wadey. Prosody airs every Saturday morning on WESA 90.5 FM.
