Charles Mahaffey
2019
planning her scheme surrounded by the underclass of rats and reptiles. She lays out her tools on the altar God left from his 6th day rituals: a bone saw, a neat little cleaver, a sweet stinging chloroform rag, a roll of tape and the rough draft of Genesis scribbled on the back of a mangy cat.
Adam sitting on the couch but any Adam will do. Adam in the kitchen. Adam in the guest bedroom. Adam talking about catching the snake in the front yard. Adam discussing how to charge the rhinoceros in the backyard for rent.
Cutting clean at the cage she came from. True ribs. False Ribs. The first rib. Her rib. Adam making lots of sounds. But Eve’s in luck; there’s no one else around… yet.
The rib planted in the garden made her look like Adam with bigger hips. Thinking if she boiled them clean or snapped at God’s finger performed some sort of God spell they might come out different. Real Eves. 8 feet tall with exotic bodies. Diamonds for teeth. Dicks for toes– no not dicks– roses for toes or having hemlock breath and solar powered skin cool hot frocked body hair. Names rooted in verbs and nouns. Titles like ‘rude bitch’ ‘bell hooks’ ‘quiet king’ ‘moon mind’.
Confronted by what she found from under Adam’s tongue, buries him up to his neck. Running the river red, decides then to make her claim. Wraps the snake around her waist, naked and covered in dust from the days dust.