They roamed the earth with supreme distinction

Evolution prior mass extinction

Of giant forms, dominate thy land

Exceptional findings to understand



To recover and discover, fossils of old

To reconstruct, reform the mould

Fine tools to chip, we hammer away

Extracted fossils, in rocks they lay



Science of discovery, working replica

Evidence of skin and that of feather

The Mesozoic era, before catastrophe

Continents found, thy land and sea



Furry mammals, reptiles of the time

Dazzling dinosaurs crawling from the slime

Non-flowering trees, appearing tall

Conifers and mosses, plants of all



The varied forms, at the least complex

The Titanosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex

The Kronosaurus, beneath thy wave

Seizing for prey, beneath the cave



Born to adapt, hunters of the sky

Beak-like jaws of which to reply

Folded wings, yet stood to train

The great survivors that now remain



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

Pronunciate, predominate, preponderate, prevaricate,

Precipitate, pontificate, pomegranate, postulate –

Problem?

Do not attempt to look these words up!

That dictionary shouldn’t be w-i-d-e open like your mouth

Or can’t you handle multi-syllabic lexis?

I thought you were TOUGH, MIGHTY and STRONG

Yet lower,

Lower,

Down into the ground

A million thoughts lay scattered, here, there and everywhere

WAIT A MINUTE

I thought you were INVINCIBLE and POWERFUL

So HARD that you could DEFEAT anything that came your way

I THOUGHT YOU COULD RUN AND hide

Why, this room is as LOUD as s-i-l-e-n-c-e

I see that your friends aren’t with you now

What happened to your BIG mouth! Cat got your tongue?

But when your friends are around

Your tongue can’t resist a good workout

Up, down, t-w-i-r-l it a-r-o-u-n-d

I thought that Audacious was your middle name

Oh, here comes Georgia Giraffe.  Cat got your tongue again?

The old YOU jumps out and reveals itself

When YOU LOOK down AT PEOPLE

Those known as the vulnerable

So why is it that when people LOOK down AT YOU

You put on a mask?

Such an innocent and friendly face!

Scared now?  Met your match?

I thought that if you had a pound for every fight you had won

Every human alive would be penniless

Silly sausage!  Oh, sorry!  Offended?

Truth hurt?  Are you a victim?

Well, imagine what it feels like to be a victim!

Where the world is an e-v-e-r-l-a-s-t-i-n-g nightmare

Look here, look there, but there is no escape route

I-m-a-g-i-n-e what it feels like to want to t-u-r-n back the clocks

Where you can never see the shine

If it isn’t too much of a HARD task, then

Bully, OH bully



-Imagine-



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

The prominent years, of which did last

Great heights of power, of centuries past

According to legend, thy Rome we build

Twin brothers afore, o’ Remus killed



O’ city of Rome, of which we name

A land of power, government, fame

A laurel wreath, for emperors made

Make way Augustine, we shall invade



Proud legions stand, march with thy sword

Set up camp, in one accord

Hilltops on high, settlement surround

Excavated objects found



We bind the law, of which was spoke

Of magistrates power, enforce, evoke

Writings carved, upon thy stone

Papyrus, bronze, of Latin alone



Villas remain, a courtyard near

Mosaic art, yet to revere

Myths and legends, they chose per se

God and goddess, a role to play



The Colosseum, the serious wars

O’ re-enact at theatre doors

Horses trotting, yet at a pace

The circus held, thy chariot race



Lend a penny, now let us bath

Thy mineral water, water wave

As strigils scrape, upon thy skin

With lavish oil, thy slave rub-in



A solid cause, bring to effect

Our empire built, we shall protect

Provinces, lands, we captured all

Stood to defend, afore thy fall



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

From minute settlements, to towns of trade

Yet without warning, a sudden raid

A venture into foreign lands

The walls and gates of Viking hands



To labour on, as understood

Homes we build, prepare thy wood

Address the strength of near rooftops

For there beneath lay our workshops



Commence the plan, we have devised

Perfect thy craft and specialize

Protect the home, o’ dearest wives

We venture out, to honour lives



I make thy comb, you make thy shoe

With silver weighed, we shall accrue

Of buried towns, forgotten fence

The archaeological evidence



Of generations when time began

Young boy o’ ten, become a man

We send you on, to grasp thy trade

The substance of which life is made



Trade thy *** and wooden chest

Wives will loom and keep the nest

Our homes rest on thy trodden earth

Stones surround thy warming hearth



I write, I read, a leader’s state

O carved letters educate

We shall not settle for any less

Protection called, our high goddess



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

Of European descent, from whence they came

Across the borders to settle, re-establishment

Angles, Saxons and Jutes – Anglo-Saxon be known

Conquered lands, such roads have served, that of the Roman Empire

Yet under attack, strong order we lack

Helpless – o’ kingdom cry

As legions left, nations wept

Our production has ceased

O’ Saxons – mercenaries be hired

Will you defend us now?

Picts trouble thee

From ‘worthlessness’, ‘choice nature’ reflect

Anglo warriors now stand abreast

Ruddy remains, Arthur’s battle in vain

Battle of Hastings, charge and maim

A legend’s defeat, as armies retreat to lands afore

O treasured finds, beneath the silt

Fragmented helmet, of skilled design

Corrosion abhor, yet to restore

Tarnished silverware, o’ iron rusts

For much gold lay, retained –unchanged

Grave goods of Sutton Hoo, barrow over thy ship

O’ King be laid?

With objects frayed

Unaware of whetstone wear – we honour thee!

Of features present, of features past

Churches of stone, post-hole home

Tis farming year, with ploughs we break

Prepare thy soil, crops shall thrive

Fatten thy cattle, raise thy calf

Barter thee, present ye half

Commence thy craft, thy potter’s clay

Of antler work and carpentry

Thee be skilled, our peoples free



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

Many a flame, brightens the sky

Such events to re-enact

A plot in vain that would underlie

A pre-determined pact



Brought up as a Catholic child

Beliefs that would not wane

The distinct view of Protestants

Reflecting royal reign



The disapproving treatment then

Catholic Priests and all

Of secret church services

Hidden holes – no fall



A venture to the land of Spain

Discover and to fight

A brave and learned soldier

Gunpowder to alight



Plans devised, against the king

Thomas Winter’s plot

Fawkes informed and now assigned

Such tales were not forgot



A secret meet within the Inn

Robert Catesby lead

A gang adjoined as one to swear

Our plans will go ahead



A parliamentary opening

Imminently placed

For barrels rolled into the night

Hidden without trace



A letter sent to Monteagle

Reward for such a warn

Uncovered act, to light a fuse

The truth of which be sworn



Hidden in the cellar below

O’ Guy to now arrest

A plotters display of guilty heads

The ending of their quest



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

Of many a surround, complexities be found

Containers lying moist, a decision or a choice

Yet further on afield, a glance at orange peel

Paper, plastic, food, piles amass of tin



Remnant turning raw, a rotten eyesore

Rustling wind o’ waste, left in sudden haste

The mice can now compete, with litter in the street

Paper, plastic, food, piles amass of tin



Fines there are to pay, a shoddy vast array

The circling of sweeps, creating cleaner streets

A clearer road to pave, recycling can be saved

Paper, plastic, food, piles amass of tin



Creatures here collide, scraps of the roadside

Watchers not around, fly-tipping on waste ground

Yet no-one there to blame, deserted country lane

Paper, plastic, food, piles amass of tin



Hazards in the town, where shops are to be found

The mess that will not fade, nor biodegrade

Danger near the farm, creatures brought to harm

Paper, plastic, food, piles amass of tin



Discarded fishing nets, caught around there necks

Trapped in like a pen, cannot get out again

The choices of today, can create a way

Paper, plastic, food, find the nearest bin!



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©