My Cousins Named Dino
And now, who 'dis?
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This is an entry in a poetry contest about dinosaurs.
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Way back in the before-times
The dinosaurs were our cousins
We used to have such fun together
Hanging out and playing the dozens.
*
Then one day something hit the earth
The land got hotter and hotter
Our cousins tried to tough it out
But us turtle families, we headed for water.
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We figured out how to live in the ocean
Swimming, diving, eating seaweed
At first we thought we’d drown or starve
But the ocean had everything we’d need.
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We laid our eggs in nests on beaches
Our babies learned to crawl
From nest to ocean, they figured it out
Instinct, I think it’s called.
So, while the dinosaurs went extinct
Sad as that was to see
We turtles figured out a way
To migrate from land to sea.
*
We’re sea turtles now, swimming along
Thriving for millions of years
But then humans arrived, creating problems for us
And all of our sea-going peers.
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If you humans could, please, stop with the trash
Stop contaminating the home we all share
The air, the sea, the land, and space
Or we’ll all go extinct. You need to care.
We used to have millions of sea turtles
Now our numbers are dwindling to few
And our peers in the ocean are dying as well
Humans, pay attention: Big Clue!
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Please clean up your mess. You know what to do
With your brains you can find a solution
It’s crucial that humans all work together
Or extinction will be the conclusion.
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71% of the earth is water
Marine life keeps humans alive
If you break the earth beyond repair
Like the dinosaurs, you won’t survive.
*
Turtles have evolved over 100 million years
Humans, just 300,000 years or so
The dinosaurs are gone, and we all may be next
So if you don’t know, now you know.
References:
(1) https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/endoceanseaturtles/
(2) https://www.earthhistory.org.uk/transitional-fossils/origin-of-turtles
(3) https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/what-can-you-do-save-sea-turtles
©2024. Luksi Bayou. All rights reserved .
About the Creator
Luksi Bayou
Luksi Bayou (she/her) writes fiction inspired by lived experiences. Sometimes she also writes about data. More stories on Medium: https://tinyurl.com/ys27mm7x
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Original narrative & well developed characters
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Standing While Falling
Quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche "He who wrestles long with monsters should beware lest he himself become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Man is not destroyed by suffering, but by the meaning he makes of it."
By LUCCIAN LAYTH5 days ago in Critique
Comments (5)
After having just sponsored a nest of sea turtles here in Florida, I love your perspective with this!
i love your work and its nicely written. keep up the good work, luksi
This broke my heart so much 🥺 Humans are certainly the worst species to ever exist. Loved your poem!
The many ways we preach to ourselves to care about the world if we want to keep it going. Only 50% really listen, i hope it is more not less. Great advice in your poem.
OMG, this is so good, everyone must read it!! We are kindred souls with saving the environment! Loved this!!💕💓