by Tony Gruenewald

…newfound knowledge can also accentuate the depths of our ignorance. The more we know, the more we know how much we don’t know… Jennifer Szalai

After Adam ate the apple
and was rebuked by God who asked, 
“You really want these? Here you go. 
Good luck,” God handed him
the keychain 
to the universe
but didn’t tell him
what key fits which lock.

So, generation after generation
of Adam’s and Eve’s 
innumerable descendents
fumble through God’s
infinite number of keys
and every time they stumble 
upon a one that opens a lock,
they are cursed 
by more questions
that further scramble 
the meanings of
the often inscrutable
instructions in God’s 
sacred user’s manuals.

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Tony Gruenewald is the author of the poetry collections, The Secret History of New Jersey (Northwind 2009) and Honk (Kelsay Books 2021). For more about him and his work, visit tonygruenewald.com