Monday Rewrite: The Dark Tree

The serpent was still in the garden
Looking to trick and deceive
He’d already had his way
Wrecked the lives of Adam and Eve.

He slithered amongst the long grass
Came to a crowded town
Rubbed his metaphorical hands
At the thought of bringing it down.

He made his way like silent mist
No footprints in his wake
Observed for a while, then said with a smile,
‘Deception’s a tasty cake.’

And so he began his busy work
Setting families against each other
Bringing down friendships with gossip and lies
Dividing sister and brother.

He led the innocent to many a tree
Lied about the fruit
Then slithered into the shadows
And watched the addictions take root.

Sowed seeds of dissatisfaction
Launched massive ad campaigns
‘Enough is never enough,’ he hissed
And we fell for it time and again.

He nurtured corruption and greed
And then pulled his greatest con
‘Nothing to do with me,’ he said
And so the deception went on.

But not too far away
In the shadows of fear and gloom
Another tree grew up
Along a path towards a tomb.

With blood running, staining the ground
The dark tree looked like death
But the body taken off it
Was about to draw new breath.

This tree – it bore a different fruit
And continues to do so today
For those poisoned by the serpent
It brings hope for a better way.

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