Understanding Temptation

"Ever since Eve started it all by offering Adam the apple, woman's punishment has been to supply a man with food then suffer the consequences when it disagrees with him." -- Helen Rowland

"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." -- Martin Luther

"The apple cannot be stuck back on the Tree of Knowledge; once we begin to see, we are doomed and challenged to seek the strength to see more, not less." --Arthur Miller

"We are born believing. A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible." --Welsh Proverb

My eyes eagerly weigh up and down

the beauties on display,

looking for perfection,

wanting perfect form,

balanced color

and firmness to my touch.

Once selected

I revel in the sweet scent

taking a few moments

to fully appreciate my prize.

I now understand temptation

I can no longer resist

I take a bite from the apple

that I picked so carefully from the tree!

Amber Allen

All rights reserved.

Copyright 28 November 2011

I've only recently started in the last week to write poetry and I've surprised myself by just how much I enjoy it. It has certainly got me to look at things that I do it a different light.

Apples have a very symbolic meaning in many cultures and are often considered to be a forbidden or mystical fruit. Artists have used it as a symbol of both sexuality and love.

In Christianity it is well known as a symbol for temptation, knowledge and sin. It does of course depend on who is holding it. When in Adam's hand it symbolizes the fall of man yet when held in Christ's hand he represents the second Adam sent by God to bring eternal life to man.

The Bible makes reference to the apple in both the Old Testament and the New Testament in other contexts.

"the apple of your eye" Proverbs 7:2

"a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in setting of silver" Proverbs 25:11

"As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons." Song of Solomon

The Celtic culture great valued apples and the apple tree. The ability of the fruit to keep over a long period of time is likened to the lingering of love after the first waves of passion have subsided. The apple tree is considered a symbol of creativity and an emblem of art and poetry. It is also associated with virtue and considered to be a symbol of purity and motherhood and apple wood was often burned during fertility rites.