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Helen and Eve by Mark Katrinak
Behind Homeric hymns and heavy drop
curtains, Helen and Eve were sipping tea.
“Don’t they always blame us for everything?”
Eve’s presence was a passing cure for loneliness
while Helen’s lips were tinged with Eve’s. She wore
the brightest red of all in waging war,
a thousand more untold domestic scenes.
Compare the span between heaven and Earth
and Earth and Mars; between heaven and hell,
Venus and Mars. A man and wife,
eternal opposites exchanging words
upon the turning planetary loam,
never a never-never land between
the thirteen moons of Neptune and illusion,
Eve unadorned and holy here and now.
Bio
Mark Katrinak has a chapbook, Blue Meridian, forthcoming from Kelsay Books. He has had poems published in Bayou, Southwestern American Literature, Schuylkill Valley Journal, Lullwater Review, Pinyon, The Opiate, Pensive, Poetry for Mental Health, and other literary publications. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Mark is now a resident of Golden Valley, AZ. When not working for a mental health agency, he enjoys birds, cats, fine wine, and spending time with his family.
Author's note
The Garden of Eden and the subsequent Fall have inspired me to write several poems. The “femme fatale” has always intrigued me, as well. I took liberty to span many centuries and at the same time worked to make this feel modern. Originally, I had included “Emily” (Emily Dickinson) into this piece, but I decided that was too much of a leap.
