Rubaiyat Of Evolution After - Yet Long Before - Edward Fitzgerald And Charles Darwin Poem by Jonathan ROBIN

Big Bang four billion years ago or more
exploded, shot photonic waves from core
of universal matter, dark and light,
that offer insight on creation's core.

As particles left ground zero far behind
they coalesced from gas clouds double bind
formed galaxies which gathered speed to start
a universal race till times unwind.

The solar system that our sun obeyed
found moon from earth divorced which groundwork laid
for time and tide to ride wide ocean blue
as ages sped through timeless cavalcade.

For long few signs could show life that would grow
from small beginnings with no outward show
to complicated food chains which would bloom
in tune with evolution on the go.

Lunar attraction somehow catalyzed
bacterial building blocks that self revised
to pave the way for flora, fauna, and
band together each with aims disguised.

From lightning life evolved, primordial soup,
when catalyzed, caused atoms to regroup,
then enzymes formed that storms' informal mass
transformed to DNA with spiral hoop.

Flash chain reactions acted on debris
from cosmic comets, asteroids to free
life's wherewithal creating genius
whose apex seems enshrined, dream friend, in ME!

For meteor and comets that 'alight'
from outer-space creating impacts bright
contain trace elements Earth lacked for stacked
amino-acids back-to-back on site.

The unicellular with cock-a-hoop
looped loopy loop, no knees with which to loop,
no need for knees nor droop, see light waves seized
photosynthetic energy, recoup.

As mountains rise surprise sees poking out
from Himalayan heights here, roundabout,
shelled fossils which once formed beneath the brine
peeking between high peaks for Sherpa scout.

Pangaea split to form the seven seas
and stimulate diversity - no freeze
would Gaia know until Jurassic end
extinguished dinosaurian certainties.

But Man fanned out, refusing to be held
as hostage to too fickle fate that felled
Tyrannosaurus Rex which reigned supreme
till comet crater global dust propelled.

Ice age which then ensued most species killed,
Man's ancestors were rodent-like, refilled
terrestrial niches, omnivorous though small,
gene pools in double helix spools outspilled.

As aeons aeons followed through apes' tale
mutated in perpetuum till tail
was dropped by species that seems destined for
a phase to cut diversity wholesale.

From Africa or from the Middle East
humanity spread out as bird and beast
became subdued, eliminated or,
as Dodo stored, fraught Future’s eyes to feast.

Ringed man through Baring straits passed east and west,
spread gene groups led by chance, or Fate’s behest,
advanced to test conditions to provide
enough and more beside bed, board, and rest.

Then thirty years longevity appeared
a gift few knew who daily Death must beard,
with naught superfluous, armed with fire and flint,
against the cold fought, hunting sought and feared.

Neanderthal found focus - bison beef -
while humankind would harvest coral reef
and crops to balance diets overall,
the former failed, its struggles came to grief.

Since then sped thirty thousand years to seed
the settlements which sounded ways to feed
populations which found pride and place
discovered needs creating greater need.

Today we have surpassed threescore and ten,
though great divides exist between those men
who culture “western” can enjoy and those
who nomad drift exploited far from ken.

Yet never has Man's challenges as dire
appeared since Sphinx fell silent, earned Ra's ire,
Monsanto's sterile shadows modify
crop mix while rich exploit poor beggar buyer.

Tomorrow, which this century presumes,
Man’s span may stretch two thousand silver moons,
themselves repeated through clones spliced in time
confounding Nature - vanity’s buffoons.

What counts for those who'd live two hundred years,
two thousand, more, if global warming rears
its dusty head to dry both tears and pores,
as Nature forecloses payments in arrears.

As dinosaurs, extinction unaware,
we feast upon our future, won't prepare
for mass starvation's writing on the wall
which must to dust bring humans everywhere.

Is there no end to exploitation rash
apart from bomb burst or some comet smash
resetting clock to zero for mankind
whose acts seem set so prime almighty crash.

From trilobites to megabytes is Man
another evolutionary also-ran
whose pride precedes a fall imminent despite
hegemony on all life forms Earth span?