Banished from the Garden

I was banished from the garden
for digging up the basil plants
and throwing them into the fire.
A temporary exile, but my heart
was pierced, and my guilt, heavy.

Such an addictive Asian herb,
the "Tulsi" in Hindi diction 
(Sacred Basil), pungent and sweet, 
should be banished instead of me.
What herb deserves such adoration?

"Such a wonderful Italian herb," 
my food aficionado friends say.
But au contraire, it was liberated 
by the Italians, who paired it 
with garlic, tomato sauce and thyme,

olive oil and rosemary and lemon,
finished with a refined Cabernet.
I blame the South Philly Italians,
the friends you gave me, who glorified
this ancient herb, and so I burned it.

To honor God . . . .

Copyright © Donald Lindsey
All rights reserved
July 2, 2019