Eve to Lilith/Lilith to Eve

Michelene Wandor

1995

These poems were published in The dybbuk of delight: an anthology of Jewish women's poetry (1995). Thanks to Nora Lee Mandel for bringing them to my attention.

Eve to Lilith

    don't get me wrong - I have nothing against first wives

    ok, so you laid him
    first; that's merely
    a fact of life
    so you got to know
    all his little habits, like
    picking his nose
    when he reads in bed

    but he didn't do that with you?
    I see

    I'm not jealous. I don't
    believe in jealousy, and what I don't believe in
    doesn't hurt me. But tell me
    honestly, what did you do to the poor man?
    He's a nervous wreck.
    He can't stand up to his boss, he has
    pains in his side all the time -
    I mean, something must have happened
    to leave a man
    so scarred.

    He told me how beautiful you were.
    The dark, dramatic type.
    Usually he doesn't talk about you
    but when we - well, long ago -
    when - at night -
    we - in the dark, always -
    he used to call your name
    at a certain moment

    It's none of my business but you must have done something very special
    to make a man remember you so

Lilith to Eve

    I merely said 'no'.

    That's when he gave me
    his attention
    for the first time

Poem: © Copyright 1995, Michelene Wandor

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