Origin Stories - Jess Parker – Gyroscope Review

Origin Story v_2

About Origin Story v_2

Origin Story v_2
by Jess Parker

It was She that brought the first He
and the many after. Man enveloped
by woman (contained by) and set
loose when ready.

Otherwise, where would the ‘w’ sneak
through with its many elbows— or the ‘o’
an ancient infinity symbol, turning,
starting itself over. A portal where one
might jump to other worlds for eternity.

The ‘s’ in She with its many curves,
blinding, is a path that, though winding,
will get him there. He may enter but first
must pass through her and be delivered.

Forget a rib, it was a womb that started this!
As if abbreviated, foreshadowing the first ‘m’.

Where he slept, fed, and woke up glistening
which also brings us to listening but that’s a
story to follow how we got from her to him.

Origin Stories – Origin Story v_2

This poem germinated for decades. As a child listening to sermons in church, I often imagined re-writing them. Later, as an adult, this poem became my rewriting of the biblical origin story in a way that matched my intuition. I imagined the traditional origin story as a Word document that I could open on my laptop, edit, rename, and save. Partway through writing the poem, it became a linguistic exercise. I wanted to break the most basic language down to the letter to prove that all life originates from women.

BIO

Jess Parker

Jess L Parker is a poet and strategist from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Jess lives in Fitchburg, WI with her husband and two-year-old son. Her debut poetry collection, Star Things, won the 2020 Dynamo Verlag Book Prize. Jess’ poems have appeared in Bramble, Kosmos Quarterly, Blue Heron Review, and elsewhere. Jess holds a B.A. of English and Spanish from Northern Michigan University, an M.A. of Spanish Literature from UW-Madison, and an MBA.