by Josh Yarden
Rembrandt, Abraham`s Sacrifice, 1635
On the verge of sacrificing
his own son on an alter
the one he loves
bound for glory
pausing to consider
which he loves more
Abraham says: “Abraham!”
and he says, “Here I am.”
in an inglorious bind
. . .
He caught himself this time
at the line or just beyond
the point of no return
Unbinding Isaac
he averts his glance
they will never meet again
When he raises his eyes
he sees another ram caught
horns locked in the thicket
. . .
Fruit of the tree of knowledge
bursting with ambiguity
hangs on a metaphor
Always ripe
for interpretation
yet often out of reach
At times we gain a good grasp
after matters unravel badly
the lines are not fixed