The Big Bang

In the beginning, there was nothing
No space, no time, no matter, no light
Only a tiny point of infinite density and energy
Waiting to explode with a mighty might

Then, in a fraction of a second
The point burst into a fiery ball
Expanding faster than the speed of light
Creating space and time and all

The ball was hot and dense and chaotic
Filled with quarks and gluons and photons
But as it cooled and stretched and grew
It formed protons and neutrons and electrons

The first atoms were born in the darkness
Hydrogen and helium, the lightest ones
They clumped together by gravity
Forming stars and galaxies and suns

The stars were nuclear furnaces
Fusing elements in their cores
They made carbon and oxygen and iron
And many more elements galore

Some stars died in supernova explosions
Spewing their guts across the sky
Enriching the interstellar medium
With the seeds of new stars and planets and life

Our solar system was one of those seeds
A cloud of dust and gas and ice
It collapsed and flattened and spun around
Shaping the sun and the earth and their satellites

The earth was a molten rock at first
Bombarded by asteroids and comets
But it cooled and formed a crust and an atmosphere
And oceans and continents and climates

The oceans were the cradle of life
Where molecules became cells and cells became creatures
They evolved and diversified and adapted
Developing senses and brains and features

Some creatures left the water for the land
And some took to the air with wings
They formed plants and animals and fungi
And insects and reptiles and mammals and birds and human beings

We are the children of the Big Bang
The latest chapter in the cosmic story
We are made of stardust and we are alive
We can wonder and learn and explore and create and glory

We are not alone in this vast universe
There are countless worlds and stars and galaxies
We don't know if there is other life out there
But we hope and dream and search and listen and see

The Big Bang is not the end, but the beginning
The universe is still expanding and changing and growing
We don't know what the future holds for us
But we are part of it and we are going and flowing