This ancient
beach we're
each old plant and creature
on its turtle-back a trafficker
peopling the hunk of Africa.
Each seed dropped by cone tree
on turtle-back a trafficker
to this unheard-of country.
Each seed dropped by cone tree
then by fortune planted
in this unheard-of country
just as the hunk crashed, frantic.
When by fortune planted
into the muck of wallows
just as the hunk crashed, frantic,
ocean gone in swallows.
Muck around the wallows
boiled as granite rose.
ocean gone in swallows
down into volcanoes.
Boiling as granite rose
thousands of feet in the mist
down into volcanoes:
metamorphosis.
Thousands of feet in the mist
stars rose, set.
Metamorphosis:
feldspar, quartz, garnet.
Stars rose, set
over waves of roiling
feldspar, quartz, garnet,
magma deeply boiling.
Over waves of roiling
ocean, Devonian lake,
magma deeply boiling
filtered, compressed, baked
ocean, Devonian lake,
petrified debris
filtered, compressed, baked
thicker than a sea.
Petrified debris,
pages of history
thicker than a sea.
What now is the mystery?
Pages of history
each old plant and creature.
What now is the mystery
on this ancient beach? We are.