How Man Become 'Man'

From dust, a whisper, not a shout,

A form unfurled, a reaching out.

No sudden birth of perfect grace,

But slow ascent in time and space.

A flicker first, of nascent thought,

A spark ignited, dearly bought.

By hunger gnawed, by fear pursued,

A primal instinct, raw and crude.

The clumsy hand that gripped a stone,

No architect's design, self-grown.

A tool to break, a shield to hold,

A story whispered, brave and bold.

The fire's dance, a warming gleam,

Reflecting back a waking dream.

Of faces gathered, close and tight,

Against the ever-hungry night.

A guttural sound, a meaning found,

A language born on hallowed ground.

To share the hunt, the danger near,

To quell the rising tide of fear.

The gaze that lifted to the stars,

Beyond the earthly, known scars.

A question etched upon the brow,

"What is this life? And why, and how?"

From beast to being, step by step,

A tapestry of sweat and rep.

Each stumble forward, marked with pain,

A lesson learned, a future gain.

The seed of empathy took root,

A fragile, precious, tender shoot.

To feel another's joy or plight,

And choose the good, resist the night.

And still the journey's far from done,

The climb continues, one by one.

To truly be what we can be,

Humanity in its entirety.