A sensory tumble through the ages. [Poetry] Winner of the Anansi Archive Winter Poetry Prize 2021/22
When we were frozen,
inert polished stone,
water rushed, algae bloomed.
The whole place breathed.
We were pulled, like tides,
pebbles sucked clean.
Scattered impulses unravelled,
assembled, rearranged,
became something sensible.
Eventually, backbones formed,
more sophisticated beings evolved,
spears broke bone, red droplets spattered.
Lumbering creatures were straightened
given cutlery, handed weapons.
Civilised.
We cracked the codes; assimilated,
enjoyed new smells:
charred meat, sweet spices, fresh linen.
We danced, loved, cried,
painted pictures, whispered stories,
tumbled easily asleep.
We made promises,
called them ‘money’,
then they made dreams come true.
We drained the bottle,
shuffled, dealt, risked everything.
Sipped coffee, nursed tender heads.
Then began anew,
cells gently repairing,
while ideas mutated, divided.
They propagated, grew
sprouted feathers, flew,
became enlightened creatures.