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The Not Changelings

They all came in their thousand millions
Saber Tooths, Neanderthal's, Do-Do Birds
Homo-Hablis and Dinosours;

gathering for Species Review
in the wide meadow forest.

The homing pigeon said
'Me and mine when we took to the sky
were millions
eclipsing the mid-day sun.

The Buffalo King said 'we once carpeted
the grasslands and once on the move
we made the Earth Thunder.'

There were fishes of the sea
amphibians, Sharks and crustaceans,
blow-fish, Australopithecus, great civilizations:
Atlantians, Mayans, Ancient Egyptians
Romans and Spartans, Huns and Goths-
all cultures which grew, matured and were lost
to time, bad luck, or circumstance, or overcome by
hordes, climate change, internal strife, or catastrophe.

Some fell down from internal contradiction-
spent all their energies on murdering one another.

The Ancient One finally rose
amid the Clamoring Laments
all looked up-some saying
'What sir did we do wrong- why did we fail?
What is the secret of survival for species like us?

'I' he said, 'have no great wisdom, each of you expired
for different reasons,
but if I had one highlight to note
failure would be in the failure to adapt,
and to live only by rote.

The genius of all things is the ability to learn-
to alter patterns and beliefs to fit a changed circumstance.

Fish did learn to live on land,
reptiles learned to fly, the large learned how to live small.

If the climate changes you may have to leave your ancestral home
follow the game; learn to make warm clothes,
guide yourselves by the stars,
make a bed in caves, abandon hunting for horticulture gains.

In all this was a central point, change or go obsolete and become extinct.
There was a general tumult, 'Must we then' the religious said
'give up our religion and choose change? ;
not us. ' they said.
'Must we give up our privileges some said, 'over my dead body then'
Others said ' I cannot imagine giving up my home and moving on-
how would I survive? '
'We' the Huns said 'must take what we need.'
We'll not change they all said. We will keep what we've earned.'
We will resist.

'Well' the Ancient One said
'no surprize then that you are all extinct.'

poem by Lonnie Hicks
Added by Poetry Lover
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