Rise

Dust swirls at the edge of a galaxy
coalesces in neutrino-blackness
an embryonic world violent in genesis
pummeled by asteroids
shock waves sweep the surface
fireballs rage back into space
molten plasma tsunamis the globe
craters hiss geysers of steam
volcanoes vomit fountains of magma
liquid iron sinks to the planet’s core.

The blazing orb spins and cools
slushy rock hardens to a brittle shell
breaks apart drifts on a dense mantle
crusty plates collide crunch and grind
gouge chasmic trenches sculpt jagged mountains
vapor shrouds the red sky boils into clouds
fierce rainstorms wash the land
carve rivers and streams hydrate lakes and seas
gas belches from ocean floor vents
primordial sludge bubbles acids incubate

life rises from the saline heat —

biology’s first garden
thrives branches ladders
upward ever upward . . .
from microbe to consciousness.