The Great Trilobite Mystery
by Kenneth C. Gass
Some people live for staying fit, while others worship cars.
And there are
those who spend their spare time planning trips to Mars.
We understand these
people, and they’re all within their rights.
But then there’s me. I ask you, “Why
do I like trilobites?”
For starters, they became extinct before T. Rex appeared.
Someone who’s
transfixed to the past must be a little weird.
And trilobites were creepy bugs,
like centipedes and mites.
So if that's true, I wonder, “Why do I like
trilobites?”
They’d never win a beauty show. They have too many feet.
One pair per
segment, each with gills. How could I think that’s neat?
With spines and
daggers here and there, which must have helped in fights,
They certainly weren’t
pretty. Why do I like trilobites?
Like moths, they metamorphosed. Their first stages were minute.
But even
at that tender age, one couldn’t call them “cute.”
As they
grew up, they added segments at specific sites.
This made them still more creepy.
Why do I like trilobites?
As fossils, they are common. You can find them by the ton.
They seldom make
the newspapers, like dinosaurs have done.
But somehow they consume my thoughts
on many sleepless nights.
If they are so abundant, why do I like trilobites?
They’re like a wondrous mystery that's very slowly solved
About our
planet’s history and how life has evolved.
To like them will not save
the world or change the wrongs to rights.
They’re fascinating creatures. That’s
why I like trilobites.
***