God gathered the dust in his hand,
Formed his greatest creation.
He gave it but one command:
“Knowledge is for me alone.”

God knew, of course,
That man would disobey.
Curiosity is a deadly force;
Its fruit is bittersweet.

Since Eve tasted the apple,
Or whatever it may have been,
The psyche daily must grapple
With the demon Knowledge.

What is worse than knowing?
I haven’t the gift of prophecy,
But I glimpse the future still.
A simple look inside is all it takes
To know just what will come.
A twisted, callous old woman
Lying in a young girl’s heart.
She cries for a dying world
And screams for her helplessness.

What is worse than knowing?
I know all the answers,
But I don’t know any solutions.
With a pen I can design the world
But still it crumbles down.
The most powerful man
Is weaker than a kitten.
I thirst for order, perfection,
Without hope of achievement.

What is worse than knowing?
I hear phantom voices,
Feel their every injury.
They call to me their savior.
I know what they need.
Maybe I know what to do.
Mostly I know I run amok
Chasing ghosts in the wind,
No strength for real change.

What is worse than knowing?
Knowledge wrings me dry;
Stinging droplets cascade,
Deposit salt crystals in my soul.
I can know facts, or people,
Or everything there is to know,
But Knowledge is only a curse.

I suspect that every man
Knows the demon of Eve.
We suffer as only the sentient can
While the universe quietly sleeps.