-Get up!

Many of us have heard the story... but we didn't hear it this way.

I was born first!

You,

You’ve done nothing

Nothing but watch sheep all day.

I till the ground.

I sweat.

My hands blister and bleed.

But you,

Your offering is “desirable.”

The mother sheep birthed the lamb;

You were just there to catch it!

As you always are,

Ready to catch the good things given to you

And reap the reward of others’ labor.

You don’t grow the grass

Your herds feed on.

But you claim the respect given

For a fresh, fat lamb.

 

Yes,

Hello brother.

Do you remember how

We wrestled as children?

And you always lost.

Oh sweet, beloved little brother,

We are men now

And I’m still stronger,

Older,

Bigger.

How dare you talk to me

Of how He has blessed you!

 

How DARE you!

-get up.

I’ve hit you harder than that before.

And mother crooned over you.

You’re WEAK!

-look at how you stumble back.

I barely touched you.

But they love you

Like you’re something SPECIAL!

-Get up off the ground again.

I’m not through with you yet.

Tell me again

How He’s BLESSED you!

How PRECIOUS your little LAMB is!

How PERFECTLY

FAT

And WHITE

And STRONG it is!

How PERFECT

His WEAK little SHEPHERD is!

-Get up!

Tell me how MY offering

-Get up!-

Was JUST

NOT

GOOD

ENOUGH

For Him!

Get up.

Get up!

What

You think that closing your eyes,

Staying still and limp,

Will save you?

Can you taste that blood on your lip?

Feel the pulsing of your eye as it swells?

Beg me some more!

Look at me!

Open your eyes and beg me to stop.

Open your eyes!

Open…

Abel?

Brother?

Wake up!

Why aren’t you-

Abel,

Breathe!

Fine you win!

I’m getting mother;

She’ll patch you up as she always does.

 

Oh! It’s You…

He’s back there somewhere.

How should I know?

Am I my brother’s keeper?

What?

No!

No, I just hit him a bit

He’ll wake up.

Yes he will!

What else would he do?

… What do you mean “dead”?

Author's Note

I took a little creative license with this writing. I'm not suggesting that THIS is what actually happened; I just wondered how it might have gone with the first human death on Earth.