Lessons Fallen from the Tree of Paradise
By S. T. Brant
i. The Price of Wisdom
What is the price of wisdom?
A question we must always wonder.
We could become wise, know the requirements for becoming so.
We lack wisdom and lack the formula for becoming so.
Our whole lives we search for a wise utterance,
Something that can be of Use,
Something to contest a struggle;
We come up short when wisdom’s needed.
A haunting question.
ii. Be careful in the Garden
The water was too much for Narcissus
Returning to him a revelation he couldn’t handle;
What we discover in the water is always a danger.
The risk could be narcissistic: a quest leading to catastrophe.
Or it could lead to the rain of heaven
That await some in the Garden.
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About the Author

S. T. Brant is a Las Vegas high school teacher. His debut collection Melody in Exile was released in 2022. His work has appeared in numerous journals including Honest Ulsterman, EcoTheo, Timber, and Rain Taxi. You can reach him on his website at ShaneBrant.com, Twitter: @terriblebinth, or Instagram: @shanelemagne.