Mark Elber
The Splitting of the Adam
In the annals of dumb luck
a sperm and egg collided,
forty weeks down the road not taken Adam emerged
mist mingled with dew, clouds spilled their buckets
hooves were heard and beaks broke into song
dawn’s rays nudged petals open
Adam found his legs, his match, his Eve, his urge
who found the same
as they were busy being one flesh, one night, one tangle
under the stars
between rushing rivers spraying the air
lungs learning to laugh, legs to leap
lips to bring forth miracles
could such perfection last?
the heart in its chambers, the brain baffled by the newness
of it all –
in the name of instinct, for the sake of the many controlled
by the few
for the wedding of cause and effect
for worlds anxious to be discovered
o how we were fruitful, seeding our way across the planet’s
generous face
feeding from its grains, gourds, gardens, its myriad trees, its selflessness
how could we not see, how could we not bless
Mark Elber
Mark Elber was born and raised in New York City. He was an artist in residence at the Millay Colony for the Arts, Blue Mountain Center, and the Arad Arts Project. He was “Poet of the Year” at the Beat Museum in San Francisco in 2007. His first book of poetry, “Headstone,” was the winner of the 2022 Henry Morgenthau Poetry Prize and was a Massachusetts Book Honor in Poetry in 2023. He is also the author of “The Everything Kabbalah Book” and “The Sacred Now.” He received his MFA from the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. He lives in Fall River, MA.