DINOSAURS

We are but ghosts now from the distant past,
silently observing your evolution.

For before the Age of Mammals…reign of Man,
before the great asteroid and the climate changed,
there existed here on Earth a world foreign
as any distant planet supporting life…
the Mesozoic era…Age of Reptiles;
we, born to it, taking our rule for granted.

And when mammals did appear,
some of us simply saw them as another source of food,
little realizing what was to come;
Nature never granted us the ability to imagine.

There was no need for machines…
technology…space travel.
For millions of years our society in perfect balance…harmony;
predator and prey, one sustaining the other;
carnivores feeding off the weak, sick and old of herbivores.
Through this keeping numbers in check,
ensuring plenty of food for all.

Fortunately, some of our members developed
feathers and wings;
in hindsight…wisely kept to a smaller size.
They are still with you today in myriad variety;
subtle echo of our former glory.

In some ways, we are envious of the intelligence
that differentiates you from other species,
though far from ensuring your continued dominance.
For there is another phylum more diverse than both our kind,
existing even when our development still young…insects.
As small to you as your ancestors were to us,
and despite lacking the intelligence that sets you apart,
through instinct, sheer numbers…some, organization,
making up for it in so many ways.

Hopefully for your sake,
their dominance will remain science fiction.
From our own demise though…perhaps you will learn.

© 2001 Chris Sorrenti