God gathered the dust in his hand,

Formed his greatest creation.

He gave 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.