Voices in the Garden (After Denise Levertov’s “On a Theme by Thomas Merton”)

"Who told you that you were naked?"
               His voice
Cuts through the trees and fig-leaves.
Naked, you stand, glory shattered,
Illusion broken, image disconnected,
Heart unsure now how to beat.

"Did you eat the fruit from the tree?"
               His voice
Asks yet does not need to be told:
Your lips stink to heaven and the stain
Of falsely bought wisdom's on your teeth,
Image disconnected from the lies you breathe.

What now? No sense in deceit.
               His voice
Knows the depths and the heights,
The stars, the chasms of your heart.
Naked, you stand, wisdom disconnected;
Swallow your pride and breathe truth.