At the Brink

By J. Tullius

At the brink
did Eden hold its breath
as Eve recoiled and tried to think?—
as sophistry’s sibilant salesman
immortalized Death?
Legitimate question:
whether the shall or ye goes first;
whether the presence of a thirst
entails the need to drink.
 
Did Satan stop
to picture from his porch
a jackknife or a belly-flop?
Which fits the dignity he pretended
assuages the scorch?
When, vans extended,
he spurned the land to ride the air,
could he, supremely unaware,
then fathom the drop?
 
And do I,
now standing at the brink,
partly wish to be mastered by
the crouching menace of predator Sin?
How far can I sink
before I begin
to drown in fear of wind and waves—
not crying Lord to One who saves,
but shouting Crucify? 

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J. Tullius

is an Orthodox Christian, English Teacher, and Board Member for Kalos Arts Foundation.

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J. Tullius

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A Poetry of Happiness

The Ethics of Beauty