Adam and Eve Pose For Durer, by Helen Bar-Lev

Adam and Eve, by Albrecht Durer (Germany). 1504.

Adam and Eve Pose For Durer

Durer’s Adam and Eve
cover their privates 
with fig leaves glued on
to prevent slipping
and embarrassment to the artist

They are curly-haired, these two
and we get the sense of
Papageno and Papagena,
only here Eve has a double chin
and her belly button is more defined
than her breasts – one wonders
what Freud would say about this

At their feet, a sleeping cat,
a nonchalant mouse, a placid rabbit
behind them a goat
on a branch that Adam holds, a parrot,
in the background a cow is sitting down 

Between them a tree, though the leaves
don’t seem to be those of the apple;
wound around a branch
is the world’s most famous serpent – wait –
are those four nails embedded in its head?
whatever for? also note, it holds
the top of an apple in its mouth,
while the bottom part rests in Eve’s hand

Adam does not seem to protest;
he’s concentrating so hard holding this pose for Durer –
and the parrot must be heavy too –
also, perhaps he needs to relieve himself,
given the pressure of the fig leaf on that strategic area, 
so he may not really be focusing on the apple transaction 

So what happens next?
What, you don’t know, 
can’t even guess?

Well, there’s the Bible
on the shelf behind you,
open to Chapter One
and be enlightened
​
Helen Bar-Lev

Helen Bar-Lev was born in New York in 1942.  www.helenbarlev.com   She holds a B.A. in Anthropology, has lived in Israel for 46 years and has had nearly 100 exhibitions of her landscape paintings, 34 of which were one-woman shows.  Her poems and artwork have appeared in numerous online and print anthologies.  Six poetry collections, all illustrated by Helen.  She is the Amy Kitchener senior poet laureate and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2013.  She is the recipient of the Homer European Medal for Poetry and Art.  Helen is Assistant to the President of Voices Israel. She lives in Metulla, Israel.