Simon Rees-Roberts
Theological Problems No. 14 : Family
Genesis Ch. 4
20. And Adah bare
Jabal: he was the father of
such as dwell in tents, and of
such as have cattle.
21. And his brother’s
name was Jubal: he was the
father of all such as handle
the harp and organ.
22. And after his band
had split up, Jubal drove a
Mondeo, bought into a
useless music shop; sold
deleted vinyl and demos.
23. Jabal went broke
with the caravan park, off the
A12 at Mountnessing.
Grandpa Mehushael came
now and again, to help muck
out the chickens.
24. As for the other
wife, Zillah, the strange one;
her boy is doing quite nicely.
Well-respected, good-looking
lad, with a crash repair
business in Manningtree.
25. His sister, Naamah,
again a wild one - just like her
mother, no lady. Remember
that business on the down
train, platform 2 at Rayleigh.
26. Lamach, the old
man, went quite ga-ga; they
moved him into a home,
somewhere near Galleywood,
Boreham or Mark’s Tey, or
maybe Ingatestone.
27. Irad, Lamach’s great
grandpa, of course, stood as
Labour MP once in Dunmow.
Lost his deposit and ended up
on his beam ends in Wendens
Ambo.
28. Save Zillah’s boy,
no one amounted to much.
Not surprising really; every
one said that the family was
cursed, Cain’s legacy damned
them early.
29. When the brick’s got
your name on, there’s no need
to duck; it’s writ in the stars
you’re a failure. It’s nature not
nurture has any effect; him up
there harbours grudges for
ever.
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