Seeking Guidance from Eve During the Lockdown Period

Unexpected Objections to the Covid-Industrial Complex

Among the most surprising objections to the Covid-industrial complex are the religious protest poems, Epistles to Eve, penned by Gracia Grindal. The publisher and reviewers may have been somewhat uneasy with Grindal's verses, as the cover gives little indication of the content within. One might anticipate a feminist undertone, given that these are 33 sonnets written by a female poet addressing the mother of all humanity.

Grindal's Thoughts on Eve and Humanity

Grindal does have opinions on Eve's reputation and Adam's actions, but they are not the main focus of her work. As you listen in on Grindal's conversations with the first woman, you find yourself pondering the mystery of human discovery on Earth. Regardless of whether you subscribe to a strict creationist view, a long evolutionary perspective, or a blend of the two, our understanding of our origins is limited. The details we have are sparse and fragmented, and may be more misleading due to what they omit.

Grindal's Questions to Eve

Grindal poses poignant questions to Eve. She wonders about how Adam learned to read Eve's expressions, how Eve learned to sing, how she differentiated between edible and poisonous foods, and how she mourned the first death. These questions are not just idle musings about the origins of humanity. They are pressing inquiries made in the midst of a civilization that seems determined to eliminate all the experiences Eve first encountered: facial expressions, physical touch, singing, communal meals, and collective mourning. Grindal is pleading for assistance.

Grindal's Plea to Eve

Grindal implores Eve to reteach us how to read facial expressions unobscured by masks, and how to sing again in a world silenced by the virus. She envisions Eve wandering through a fertile paradise, free from oppressive decrees that ban social interaction. After being expelled from the garden, Eve had to create a home from fragments, small reminders of Eden.

Grindal's Poems on Illness and Dying

It's unsurprising that the most powerful poems are those centered on "Illness" and "Dying". Grindal wonders how Eve treated Adam when he fell ill for the first time. She suggests that Eve cared for him with her own arms, a stark contrast to the enforced isolation of the sick and dying in our current times. The sonnet "Fear" articulates why we've abandoned our sick: we've become students of fear, which erodes our social bonds and creates room for oppressive governance.

Grindal's Reflection on Interconnectedness

Instead of growing increasingly bleak, Grindal's sequence shifts towards a reflection on the interconnectedness of all things on Earth, a network that cannot be disrupted by fear or legal mandates. She reinterprets the fear of others' breath as a divine gift of life. She meditates on the journey of water and air through living bodies, reminding us of our inseparability from creation.

The Final Sonnet: Courage

Appropriately, the final sonnet in the sequence is titled "Courage". It looks beyond this life to the next, but it is this forward-looking perspective that gives Grindal the courage to identify the harmful powers that threaten to take away all that makes life good. Sometimes, we need to return to the beginning to find our way forward.

Bottom Line

Gracia Grindal's Epistles to Eve offers a unique perspective on the challenges posed by the Covid-industrial complex. By invoking the experiences of the first woman, Grindal asks us to reconsider what we value and what we're willing to sacrifice. What do you think about Grindal's approach? Share your thoughts and this article with your friends. Don't forget to sign up for the Daily Briefing, which is delivered every day at 6pm.