Long Ago – by Kathie Bartholomew

by Kathy Bartholomew

After Jack blogged on the Grand Canyon,  Kathie Bartholomew who says she is a long earth creationist, shared her poem with him.  We reprint it here with her permission.  She records how natural history shows us clues into both the life of a tree and the life of the earth. 

         Long Ago

          by Kathie Bartholomew

 
said the tree, the mighty tree, look at me, look at me
from my hist’ry you may learn, from my wood you may discern
               learn of drought and learn of rain
               I did flourish, I had pain
my rings will tell of bygone years, joyous times–and many tears
         
said the coral in the bay, look at me, and see my way
my layers all the years can tell, my growth rings number days as well
               each rotation leaves a mark
               I need no wooden rings or bark
my rings while I am still alive, record three hundred sixty-five
                                   
  
said the ancient fossil shell, look at me, my wisdom tell
fossil rings show in a year–400 days! recorded here
               faster did the earth spin round,
               before friction slowed it down
every day had hours few, slightly less than twenty-two
 
 
said the earth just watch me spin, I do move slower now than then
every year I slower go, not that you would ever know
               but if you can calculate,
               you can estimate the rate
know how many, and just when–days within a year back then
  
  
uranium calls us all to see–check a half-life, look at me
from my history discern, from my decay look and learn
               three-eighty-million years have passed,
               since the fossil breathed its last
that was when–the growth rings show–coral lived, so long ago
 
half-life, and geology, all invite our inquiry
and their stories all agree, with the coral in the sea
                       nature records history,
                we discern antiquity
lovely coral, mighty tree all say come and look at me
         
said the canyon great and grand, come and see to understand
ancient wisdom written here, all recorded tier by tier
               without voice small creatures talk
               silent witness in the rock
eons past, a history book–read my walls, just take a look
                                                     
look again, just look at me–shouts the distant galaxy
God in wisdom left a trace—light years, red shift, time & space    
               evidence to see and know   
               He birthed cosmos long ago
from the canyon to the sky, God’s creation doesn’t lie.