They came in countless numbers

Without hope, without hopelessness

On jelly limbs

Faceless

Crawling out of the living sea.

The green world welcomed them

It sweetened the air for them

And above all, the sun warmed them

And dried them

By night, in dreamless sleep

The new life filled them

Piping strange harmonies in the blood

Fusing the beginnings of bones

Then hunger awoke them

And sleepy with a sense of being

They arose and moved inland

Fulfilling their new-found needs

They called out to one another

The winds carried their cries

Over mountains, through forests,

Across deserts and oceans

Great distances were traveled

The strong devoured the weak

The quick devoured the slow

The cunning devoured the foolish

They fed on each other without malice

or remorse

Their purpose was survival

Life was their achievement

They formed into groups

Some took to the air

Some burrowed underground

And some returned to the water

From icecap to icecap

The globe rang with their cleverness

And with each turn

Gave them meaning