Sonnets of Creation

By Afton Logan

I

There was a deep shroud of nonexistence.

In the darkness, water lapped at nothing.

A stillness that offered no resistance,

But somewhere moved the Spirit of a Being.

God. In which lay a vision of glory.

A brilliance, a flickering white spark.

So there was light, the first of this story,

A burst of warmth to chase away the dark.

The warmth and brilliance was called the day,

The shroud of nonexistence was the night.

One, created out of a gray and black array,

The other a flare of glorious light.

The invention of our earth was underway. 

The evening and morning were the first day.

II

The sparkling water was divided,

In the very middle God set the sky.

The burning blue vaults were ignited

With the same color that drips when we cry.

A sapphire blue sea stretched thin below,

Made the sky seem a crisp delirium.

But there was no sound nor echo. Even so,

God could hear an outcry, a deep full thrum.

This planet was begging for something new.

A breath and a being to walk on the earth. 

Something that would see the differing blue.

Something to perceive its meaning and worth.

So, on the second day God made heaven,

And would continue until day seven.

III

The water began to tumble and roil. 

It splashed and heaved great waves in the air.

Out of its depths came a rock and some soil.

On its hard surface was a vacant tear.

From here came the grass, and lilies, and trees,

The color of green, the towering fir,

And all the best things to carry a breeze.

For once on this pale earth, life was astir.

It shot from the dirt and pushed up the ground,

Appeared in the veins and venules of leaves.

Then came the flowers stretched upright and proud 

Never was Solomon arrayed like these.

And so, as before, but for the third time,

God made a thing that surpassed the sublime.

IV

Now there was light, but there wasn’t a sun.

So God tied a string and hung a bright sphere.

Then came the moon so there wasn’t just one

And bright balls of gas to make our way clear.

The blue sky turned pink, then orange, and then red

Brand new colors in a dusky display

As, for the first time, the sun went to bed

And cleared a path for the white milky way.

The moon got to waxing, pushing the tide.

The earth chased the sun and started to spin.

This would cause winter and spring to collide,

Summer with fall and the red hues within.

You see, on the fourth day of creation

God looked up and saw a constellation.

V

God could see that he wasn’t quite finished.

It was still so quiet, silent, and still.

For His plan, earth’s space would be diminished,

But after all, wasn’t it there to fill?

He created the fish who swim and splash

And the mighty whale that breaches and sings,

Touching the air and falling with a crash,

But, of course, the sperm whale doesn't have wings.

So He painted pink on the flamingo.

He sent the chickadee early in noon.

Next was the raven and the kraaing crow.

Piercing the sky, was the song of the loon.

It was in no way a cacophony.

It was the fifth day choir symphony.

VI

Our God embraced the joy of creation

The fierce lion, the lamb, gentle and pale

Every creature a new innovation

Even the asp had God’s print on each scale. 

Yes, it was good, but something was missing.

He loved the birds, the grass, and the rainstorm,

But still God couldn’t help but start wishing

For a perfect friend made in his form.

Adam’s eyes opened, he let out a gasp

As he sucked in a breath, giving him life.

God stretched out His hand and gave him a clasp

lifting him into a world with no strife.

And in that moment, right where the two stood,

God looked and saw that it was very good.

VIIWith man, it seemed that God’s work had ended.

He breathed a light sigh, sat down in a glade,

And watched on as the dawn sun ascended.

Thus our God rested from all He had made.  

As God committed the land to His heart,

As sweet morning passed and evening stars came,

It was clear that each thought had turned into art,

And this last hushed day was its golden frame.

This crowned day is not the end of our tale 

Of the great sea and the sky up above 

The green-blue earth, and each minute detail,

Because through these things, God still shows His love.

See, on the very last day, God rested,

 To this fact, all nature has attested. 

By Afton Logan