One Billion Years After The Big Bang Poem by James McLain

In the universe's tender age,
One billion years past cosmic stage,
First planets spun in newborn light,
Amidst the stars, in endless night.

High radiation filled the skies,
A hostile realm for life's first tries,
Heavy elements scarce, untamed,
In starry cores, their essence claimed.

Chaotic bursts, a fiery dance,
Supernovae's fatal chance,
Gamma rays with deadly might,
Sterilizing planets bright.

Life's cradle needed calmer days,
More time to weave its complex ways,
For elements to spread afar,
Nurtured by the newborn star.

In time, the cosmos found its peace,
Allowing life its sweet release,
But in those early, fiery skies,
Life's tender spark could not arise.