Devil

I used to be terribly afraid
of my own darkness.
they told me:
God is light
and devil, dark.

and in the times that
inner darkness consumed all light,
God was out of sight.

and with no god to illuminate the night,
my racing mind took hold
of troubled heart.
whispering destruction,
deceit, and hatred.
take action, any action
to distract or satisfy
the devil inside.

devil is wrong,
and God, right.
but where is God if all that I desire is
hidden secrets?
forbidden fruit?
and love that yields no judging eye?

what if God knew
that Eve would taste the fruit
when he placed it?
and created free-will, curiosity,
all things comprising
the nature of humanity:
the urge to seek
the right to know
to be free
from all illusion and deceit.

the serpents tongue spoke no lie;
to break the rules meant exile
from the Lord’s conservatory.
but we were never meant to graze as sheep
under such scrutinizing keep.
but to forge our own paths
through the darkness,
with the right to choose
each belief and value.
propelling us towards a common goal:
to live as One, with soil, spirit, and soul.