THE CREATION OF THE REST OF THE WORLD

Before the world was, Wales was;

I have this from Hunt who’d seen

A Welsh genealogy. Towards the middle

God creates the Heavens and the Earth.

Not an over-proud folk, the Welsh;

Perhaps they welcomed the rest of the world

Suddenly appearing, slamming into place

Around Wales, which had always been.

Or perhaps it happened by degrees

The rest of creation coming into focus

And trying to look as if it, too,

Had always been there.

                                Some Welsh farmer,

I expect, pulled down the family Bible

(A huge thing, with all the pages blank

Save for the one in the middle labelled

“Births and Deaths”) and wrote

“Up all night with sick cow. About 10:30

Rest of world appeared. About time, too!”