Medieval Mental Furniture: A Primer

by Tom Holmes

The Garden of Eden exists
right now, there, where the sun appears,

above the rain and sun-formed clouds,
atop the tallest mountain.

It’s there past Persia, across India,
through the forest of hornéd apes.

Bring bones for the men with dog
heads and paws for feet. Bring spears

to slice snakes and pluck their eyes
of emeralds, or bring a flute.

They love the music but will cover
their ears from abundance of joy.

At the edge are trees with cotton leaves.
You’re almost there. Do not forget

a baptized babe for the unicorn
who guards the winding trail to the peak

where it punctured and punctures
the moon. Those are craters

that were once before its eyes
until the fall, until its blindness,

before its holy spirit glowed.
Climb the mountain. Eden’s up there

beyond the image of this world
where the Lord cradles us in his jaw.

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For twenty-two years, Tom Holmes was the founding editor and curator of Redactions: Poetry & Poetics. The final issue is due out in the summer of 2024. ☹ He is an Ace writer, who teaches at Nashville State Community College (Clarksville). Blog, The Line Break: thelinebreak.wordpress.com/.