Dennis Spilchuk Poet Verse

Notes About The Poem

When Dinosaurs Inhabited the Planet

When Dinosaurs Inhabited the Planet

   When dinosaurs roamed the earth
(T-Rexes, Triceratopses, Stegosauruses, and Brontosauruses)
Millions of years ago during the Mesozoic Era,
The land lushed green from the oxygen-enriched environment,
And the lakes and oceans hued blue teeming with life
(Plesiosaurs and Ichthyosaurs, fishes, amphibians, and crustaceans),
While Pterosaurs (Pterodactyls and Pteranodons) commanded the skies,
And lizards, arachnids, and insects (dragonflies and cockroaches) thrived,
And tiny mammals crouched, hidden, waiting to evolve
Among flowering plant blooms and tree blossoms.

   And in the far distance, volcanoes erupted
   Spewing ashes, lava, and gases.
   Today, reptilian fossils are on display in museums
   Alongside petrified trees to tell the story
   Of when dinosaurs inhabited the planet.
                                     ***

Note:
   The Mesozoic Era (aka the Age of Dinosaurs and the Age of Conifers) of Earth’s history began approximately 250 million years ago and lasted almost 180 million years [i.e., until around 65 million years ago in reference to the Holocene epoch (11,700 years ago to present day)]. The Mesozoic Era is divided into three periods: 1) Triassic, 2) Jurassic, and 3) Cretaceous. Mass extinctions mark the beginning and the end of the Mesozoic Era.
   Two main orders of classification of dinosaurs existed during the Mesozoic Era: Saurischia (sauropods and theropods), and Ornithischia. Mammals evolved during the Triassic period and continued in both the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Vegetation consisted mainly of conifers and ferns, with the appearance of flowering plants during the mid- to latter part of the Jurassic, which evolved to flourish in the Cretaceous period. During the Mesozoic Era, some species of theropod dinosaurs evolved into warm-blooded, feathered dinosaurs (aka avian dinosaurs), and then some species of avian dinosaurs evolved into birds, which appeared in the later Cretaceous period.

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Sotto Poet July 2, 2022 at 10:27 AM A poem that is both exquisitely and profoundly composed, Dennis. This piece of historic writing is further enchanted by your amazing metaphors, which are enhanced by the magnificent diction. Dennis Spilchuk July 3, 2022 at 6:24 AM Thank you for your most kind and encouraging comment.