Common Era

My friend's kid tells me all about

the eras of existence on the planet:

Crusty ol' Crustacious,

Early Jurassic,

then, because we'd already run out of names,

the Late Jurrassic

and then, the Great Extinction.

To him it's all abstract -

the era when his mom and I were roommates

might well be about as far back as T Rex.

And I've survived through many more eras since

with my tough hide and sharp claws.

The Flirtacious, the Kick-my-assic,

then I killed off every single thing I knew

one by one

sent them to the ground to become

after a millennium or so

oil or diamonds

all the more valuable

for having been buried.

While I wait

for new forms of life

to emerge on my planet

I guess I'll just keep on

what the kid says we're doing,

living in the Aftermath.