yes
once upon a time, before time
there was nothing, nothing at all
no palm trees, no ackee fruit
no birds, no fish, no thorns, no roses
and no one to give them to
no dirt, no water, no land, no sky
no air, no moon, no stars
there was nothing, nothing at all
no light, no darkness, no space, no time
and then there was something
imagine that
a rose grew from nothing
some would call that a miracle
but what else would you call a new beginning
but a miracle of sorts?
a rose grew from nothing
and as it shook off its dust the dust fell together
and created the first fire, stars and starlight
who would have ever imagined that
fire could be made from mud
starlight born from dust fall
and then there was more
more starlight, more stars
and still more, trillions even
they filled the nothing
imagine that
countless stars once shined
until they grew weary of this dance of oblivion
and died
and in their death they exploded
their final showing a grand performance
that ushered in new dust, offsprings of themselves
and the new dust was different
for, unlike them, it came from something
it was filled with possibilities
after star explosion new dust fell together
and became new starlight, our starlight the sun
and in its youthful grasp of anything’s possible
the new dust fell anew together again and again
and became a funeral of sun-worshipers
and we call one of these pious spheres of harmony
“earth”
for it means
forever falling to be blessed
forever fulfilled
and at first earth was full
filled with water, land, and sky
land-fire and sky-fire
and a sour smelling wind
and that was all it was filled with
’till the sky-fire fell and hit the water
over and over and over again
and from that violent marriage of fire and water
plants were born and they grew in the water
and these first plants had children
and they had children and so forth
until the plants’ great grandchildren
and their children were so far removed
that they forgot their parents’ stories
and their faces
their violent habits, their moods and rages
and became plants of their own
some plants left the water for land
some embraced the water becoming fish
some fish having forgotten
the stories of their parents too
left the water and became lizards
hybrid children of land and water
some looked up and in their curiosity
grew wings and became birds
some simply embraced the land growing fur
and some of these furred children
great grandchildren of fire and water
lived in trees and they were smarter than all
smarter than their siblings who stomped on land
who swam in water and who flew on sky
all of their siblings knew they were smarter
because at first only they could make song
meaningful song
that contained all
warnings of dangers, bonds of family
images of things seen, and forms yet to be
and these furred children realized that
yes, they were smarter than all
and in their ego they fell from the trees
and lived on land, by the water
and under the sky, amongst all of their siblings
and in their ego they named themselves
“human”
and after a while, from them came us
you and me, and that’s everything
from nothing came nothing
and that’s everything
for we’re nothing
but grand clay offsprings of dust, water, and wildfire
eventually shaped by curiosity, ego, and time
we’re nothing
if not human and song
yes
once upon a time, before time
there was nothing, nothing at all
and now, here you are
a rose from nothing
a new beginning
a miracle of sorts