וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֗ים הֵ֤ן הָֽאָדָם֙ הָיָה֙ כְּאַחַ֣ד מִמֶּ֔נּוּ לָדַ֖עַת ט֣וֹב וָרָ֑ע וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ פֶּן־יִשְׁלַ֣ח יָד֗וֹ וְלָקַח֙ גַּ֚ם מֵעֵ֣ץ הַֽחַיִּ֔ים וְאָכַ֖ל וָחַ֥י לְעֹלָֽם׃ “And God יהוה said, ‘Now that humankind has become like any of us, knowing good and bad, what if one should stretch out a hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever!’”  Bereshit—Gen.3:22*

The first time we hid
was in Your Garden.  Our first
garden of love and sudden knowing.

You asked “Where are you?” 
And we knew ourselves naked.  Then
time stood still and we were

outside.  Clothed, shamed, thorn-pricked,
nettle stung, stumbling, we learned
to count minutes and hours vs moments;
days and years vs always.

Every so often between times,
we’re suddenly Here again
with You in this Now-you-see-it/

Now-you-don’t Paradise
that only disappears
when one of us hides again.
                                    9/18/2021

*https://www.sefaria.org/Genesis.3.22?ven=The_Contemporary_Torah,_Jewish_Publication_Society,_2006&vhe=Miqra_according_to_the_Masorah&lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en