An Age to Explore

Chapter one of “The Humans”, our remarkable tale,

Is how we fanned out to every shore, hill and dale.

How the grand march of Time, those thousands of years,

Saw folks of all kinds reach the furthest frontiers.

Different cultures emerged and did scatter about,

Making contact at times, but still living without

A sense of how far and how wide the world spans,

And just how many people share a part in her plans.

Ah, but the meeting of tribes, of religions and sects,

Is often quite bloody and too cruel in effects.

-- One fight that erupted, in the world’s Middle Ages,

Was called The Crusades and occurred over stages,

From the year 1009 'til 1291

The Christians and Muslims crossed their swords in the sun,

In a battle royale, a fierce contest of might,

A job for brave hearts, a job for a knight.

Yes, this warring was hellish, but strangely enough,

It lead to more commerce, more trading of stuff.

Since when the fighting wound down, all of Europe was keen

To now travel and trade in lands rarely seen.

Indeed, one book on the shelves, and none was thought finer,

Was Marco Polo’s adventures, his travels in China.

-- Yes, the Orient beckoned to come pay a visit

To buy spices and silks with their patterns exquisite.

And Europe’s Kings and Queens too had hopes to get rich,

And sent their stout sailors to scratch this new itch.

‘Round Africa they’d sail, with their eyes out for gold,

A most perilous trip, so the men had to be bold.

A grueling voyage it was, for those silks and those spices

Though vessels now came with some clever devices:

The astrolabe and compass helped the captains to guide,

And to find their way home from a swashbuckling ride...