Genesis 3: 5; Matthew 4: 9
You can have it now. Just eat the fruit.
One taste, and you’ll know all there is to know.
Why wait? You can become omniscient now!
Don’t hesitate; you’ll be left destitute
Of what you most desire. No disrepute
Can come of adding to your knowledge. How
Could God forbid you that – how not bestow
Such treasure on you? Can it constitute
A deadly sin? Why would he disallow
This honest human inquiry – unless
(This just occurred to me – it’s just a guess)
Your loving God wants sole possession of
Such knowledge? I would hardly call that love.
You can have it now. Just bow to me,
And you won’t have to wait, or die in pain.
You’ve everything to lose, nothing to gain
If you refuse. Look down – all these can be
Your kingdoms in a moment! You’ll be free
From suffering and conflict. You’ll obtain
All that was mine. Then, instantly, you’ll reign!
They all will bow to you, if you will only
Bow to me once – just once! Are you insane?
You hate me this much? You’re so resolute
That you’d pass up the chance for absolute
Control of earth? This offer is my last;
Despise it, and your fame will soon be past.
Cynthia Erlandson is a poet and fitness professional. Her three collections are These Holy Mysteries, poems for the church year; Notes on Time, a tribute to the themes of time and music; and Foundations of the Cross and Other Bible Stories. Her poems have appeared in The Book of Common Praise hymnal, First Things, The Society of Classical Poets, The Catholic Poetry Room, Modern Age, and elsewhere. She is a Top Four winner of the 2023 Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest.