Roadside Dinosaur


from the ABC set Nonsensical Things

He stands beside the road
When cars pass, the children stare
Sometimes their parents stop, others not
To see the great dinosaur by the road

An expert will tell you that the model
Is incorrect, and that dinosaur should stand
With his tail outstretched and his neck the same
Great green folds of fibreglass green skin
Cloak his mighty shoulders

There is a gift shop inside of him
Where his heart, lungs, liver, spleen
And who knows how many gizzard stones
Would have been

He is a sauropod
Or longneck to the layman
In Hollywood films he is the chief prey
Of the bent and roaring T-Rex across the highway

Many say he is cool and they imagine him
Crashing and smashing to life
He mesmerises others
As he stands, a figurehead in the desert

Nowadays, I hear, he is hidden away
And of all things behind
Some ungracious fast-food chain outlet
Disrespected by the new rulers of Earth

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