When I think of Earth I
see a primordial plain
wind whipping sand and salt
and in a corner ooze,
an algae — maybe

When I think of Earth I
see ice advancing over
crumbling rock into
a rich mineral stew

When I think of Earth I
see plates smashing onto
each other followed
by endless millions of years
of volcanoes erupting and water and wind taking them down
and erupting again

When I think of Earth I
see that, eventually,
basalt cracks and a small,
a tiny creature grows from learning
photosynthesis,
tying down the Sun until