_
In the beginning,
the Earth was without form,
and void.
_
But the Sun shone upon the sleeping Earth
and deep inside the brittle crust
massive forces waited to be unleashed.
_
The seas parted  
and great continents were formed.
The continents shifted, mountains arose.
Earthquakes spawned massive tidal waves.
Volcanoes erupted
and spewed forth fiery lava
and charged the atmosphere
with strange gases.
_
Into this swirling maelstrom
of Fire and Air and Water
the first stirrings of Life appeared:
tiny organisms, cells, and amoeba,
clinging to tiny sheltered habitats.
_
But the seeds of Life grew,
and strengthened, and spread,
and diversified,
and prospered,
and soon every continent and climate
teemed with Life.
_
And with Life came instinct,
and specialization, natural selection,
Reptiles, Dinosaurs, and Mammals
and finally there evolved a species
known as Man
and there appeared
the first faint glimmers of
Intelligence.
_
The fruits of intelligence were many:
fire, tools, and weapons,
the hunt, farming, and the sharing of food,
the family, the village, and the tribe.
Now it required but one more ingredient:
a great Leader
to unite the quarreling tribes
to harness the power of the land
to build a legacy
that would stand the test of time:
_
a CIVILIZATION!




