The Victorian Dinosaur Shopping Centre

All the world was utterly surprised when Sir Richard Owen discovered us,

A paleontologist discovering but living beings?

Crystal Palace was abuzz with visitors travelling from far and wide,

Just to look at us all: big and startling and stranger than anything else they had ever seen.

I think they thought they were looking for something bygone,

Prehistoric, they might have called it in another time or space,

And when they saw us, living and breathing and interacting with the world,

All the humans had to re-consider their way of seeing life!

Within weeks they accommodated us into their social strands,

Although we couldn't remain at Crystal Palace then

(they would not trust our size and shapes at close distance of the gleaming quarters of the Great Exhibition at Sydenham)

So, very soon we all had new homes in the park,

And plenty of spaces for us to relax.

We became celebrities, and had our likenesses sculpted by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins,

Commissioned by Sir Richard Owen by-the-by.

(I say "our likeness", but the sculptor took certain liberties! I suppose that's a thing with artists, though.)

All the travelers who came required places to unwind and shop,

And pretty soon it was created: the Victorian Dinosaur Shopping Mall.

Humans had everything they needed while they vacationed in our company,

(Well, I say company, but they came to stare in awe!)

And happily they had the decency to include us in the mix:

Our expenses paid for by the income from the tourists,

We explored art galleries and ate at the poshest restaurants,

We sang at the local cabaret,

Swam with the bathers in the lakes

(Though often we were left to bathe alone, as the lakes felt cramped and often swarmed)

We picnicked at the palace terraces,

The closest we could ever get to the grandiose gleaming hall,

And went to the cinema before we remembered that it hadn't been invented yet.

We met for coffee in the afternoons,

And played cricket with the gentry,

And for any lifestyle needs, we could always shop at T-Rex Maxx.

But pretty soon the tourists' needs had grown, and so the mall, too, grew along.

Our little place in Blighty had now become:

The Victorian Dinosaur Shopping Centre, Hotel & Spa.

That story might have to wait for another time:

I have a booking for my Stegosaurus Full Body Massage.

~*~

Thank you for reading my narrative free-verse poem. If you enjoyed it, please support me by leaving a heart, insight or comment. A tip would also be most welcome if you feel so inclined.

If you wish to read any more of my poetry, you're welcome to follow this link.

Happy reading!