IN THE BEGINNING Nov. 24/83 Karl Rigelhof

In the beginning there was Darkness.
The Darkness spanned eternity
back to the very birth of time.

Then there was Light
and the Darkness rejoiced
for he was no longer alone in the void.

The Darkness was happy
with his new companion
and with the knowledge
that there was still more of him
stretched across the universe
than the tiny specks of his friend Light.

The Light began to grow
and spread his brilliance
throughout the universe.

The Darkness began to feel crowded,
not by the quantity of Light about him
but by his intensity.

He could feel the radiance
contained more life substance
than his bleak Darkness.

He would not permit this.
He devised a plan to rid himself
of this nuisance by sucking the energy
of his rival out of existence
through his black holes.

A battle ensued.
The Light fought valiantly
with nova, quasar, and fire,
but the force of the Darkness
was irrepressible.

In a final desperate attempt to break free,
a violent explosion of light and energy
hurled across the universe
consuming the Darkness everywhere,
blinding his hopes of victory.

The Darkness prevailed
and was free to engulf the void once again.

His gladness turned to sorrow
as the Darkness realized
that he was once again alone.

In the end there was Darkness.