...and then there was form.

At first there was force
and only force.
Force invaded the void
and tore the void apart.
Only then
could force begin its war on formlessness,
only then could force begin to mould its forms.
Force moulded form both from within
and from the outside.

This force could not be seen
but in its works it could be known.
Whatever else Creation threw its way
it gave a shape and purpose from the gods.

Early on there was a joie de vivre
that took the lead. No one was sure
enough to say that this came from the head
or from the heart, but what was sure
was that it crafted the most gorgeous arabesques.
Form became a visual form
and those with eyes could hear it everywhere.

But also in the forms, concealed from all,
was surplus energy, a spilling of vitality
across the universe. This oomph, this zest,
this liveliness, exuberance was looking
for an outlet, a channel for its own dispersal --
which in the shape of form it found, and in a form
we came to know as dance. This was the Dance
of Life. It would become both form and force, and 
as such was the most contagious thing on earth. 

The lesser forces moulding form from the outside,
forces such as wind, were blown away by it.
It gathered up all that was loose and wayward
and sewed it back into its masterpiece.
The dancer's tresses now were part and parcel
of the dancer's form. Her energy flowed on
and was the most delightful thing on earth --
until its even more delightful child was born:
the love that knitted man into the grand design.

---

The image is a paper cut-out by Matisse entitled Blue Nude with Flowing Hair