Stomp, rumble, thump, roar!
Overhead pterodactyls soar!
Jurassic, Triassic, Cretaceous,
Iguanodon, Protoceratops, Diplodocus.
A flood washed these creatures away,
Preserving their bones for a future day,
Buried for years in the sludge of obscurity,
Often mistaken for mystical beasts of fantasy,
Until Richard Owen uttered “Dinosauria”
And ushered in a great scientific era.
Paleontologists pounded their chisels in lands unknown,
Unraveling the long-lost history etched in stone,
Packed, coated, and shipped to hundreds of museums
To be studied as if they held the key to all our problems.
But it seemed as if the more they studied, the less they knew,
And the deeper, thicker, longer their lies grew.
When they look at these bones, they see billions of years,
Big bangs and extinctions caused by meteors.
They think drawing a feather on these large lizards
Can make them the ancestors of the buzzards.
When I look at these bones, I see the beginning
And six twenty-four hour days of creating,
Instantly formed by a single word
From the mighty Lord of lords.
I see a mural of a great Artist’s creativity,
Every inch of it displaying His ingenuity.
I wonder, how can anyone look at a dinosaur
And not see each letter of the Creator’s signature?
Mariposa Aristeo is a writer of quirky characters and fantastical adventures filled with heart, humor, hope, and, very often, dinosaurs. If you can’t find her in one of her own imaginary worlds, try combing the pages of a great middle-grade fantasy novel.
At Story Embers, igniting (and sometimes imploding) ideas is her favorite pastime, so she often uses her creativity to make graphics for articles and writing quotes, as well as implement new strategies for SE’s social media channels. Explosions aside, she loves getting to know each and every writer here at SE by running the popular #embersgram hashtag on Instagram and responding to your questions and emails.
Besides being a co-owner of Story Embers, Mariposa is an ACFW First Impressions contest finalist, a children’s book illustrator, and the host of the IGTV series #middlegrademagicwithmari. You can check out her book recommendations (and shenanigans) on her Instagram page or her character sketches on her art account.
“I wonder, how can anyone look at a dinosaur
And not see each letter of the Creator’s signature?”
I KNOW, RIGHT?!
Great poem, Mariposa. And SO true. 😀
Thank you, Dekreel! 😊 Dinosaurs always make me stand in awe of God and His amazing wisdom.
I love that you wrote a poem about dinosaurs cause you love them!! My favorite two lines were these:
“But it seemed as if the more they studied, the less they knew,
And the deeper, thicker, longer their lies grew.”
YES!
Aw, thanks, Coralie! 😊
This is so creative, Mariposa! It especially made me smile because I know that you wrote about something you love. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you, Cindy!!! 🤗 I’ve always thought dinosaurs were majestic and I thought it would be so cool if there was a poem about them. 🦕🦖
How clever! I love how you wrote this poem with such grace and simplicity, anyone can understand it. It’s so neat how it captures the might, wonder, and awesomeness of dinosaurs all in one poem. Bravo!
Thank you! 😊 I’ve loved dinosaurs as long as I can remember and wanted to share that admiration with others in a way that glorifies the Creator of dinosaurs. 🦖🦕