how god disappeared

in the beginning there was no need for explanation, for god was everything and all things in her; but such a congregation was deafening—even to our mother—so she created silence for comfort; and from this void welled a great nothing to be filled; and in this stillness god composed melodies that sing in our blood and bone; but first was the silence: then void, earth to stage her creations, heaven to illume them, and oceans and tree and sky to house the beasts of god's mind of which we were the first. we were pale, at first, awkward lumps of flesh that rolled about with neither limbs nor lips, nor ears nor eyes because god had yet to perfect complexity: but soon came worm and centipede, termite and wasp and all manner of stings and bites upon us; it was not long before god envisioned tooth and claw, talon and wing; and we filled the bellies of god's children; but god was too busy filling the oceans and tree and sky to notice; and so it continued until the whole of god's imagination was sated; and she looked upon her world; and remembered us; and when she saw what had become of us she wept; and the earth knew rain; and the animals were afraid but we were not; and god came to us with a covenant: a gift of her limbs and lips, her ears and eyes to stand tall and speak and hear and sense the fear growing in the animals around us; and you must but tend my heart god said to us; and she removed her legs, her ears and nose, her eyes and left arm and said you must take my second arm yourself; and she created fire in her palm and handed it to us: use this, god said; and we took god's right arm for ourselves; and before god could remind us of her heart we took her lips; and a great hunger came upon us so we stole god's breasts for milk; and opened her chest; and withdrew god's pulse; and devoured it; and when we lit god's body the universe itself cried in agony; and there was a fire so terrible that it blackened our skin; and a heartless god rose from the ashes; and thus does misfortune and the tale of man begin.