Has Dinosaur Poetry Become Extinct?

The Age of Dinosaurs
By James Scruton
There are, of course, theories
about the wide-eyed, drop-jawed
fascination children have for them,
about how, before he's learned
his own phone number or address,
a five-year-old can carry
like a few small stones
the Latin tonnage of those names,
the prefixes and preferences
for leaf or meat.

My son recites the syllables
I stumble over now,
sets up figures as I did
years ago in his prehistory.
Here is the green ski slope
of a brontosaur's back,
there a triceratops in full
gladiator gear. From the arm
of a chair a pterodactyl
surveys the dark primeval carpet.

Each has disappeared from time
to time, excavated finally
from beneath a cabinet
or the sofa cushions, only
to be buried again among its kind
in the deep toy chest,
the closed lid snug as earth.
The next time they're brought out
to roam the living room
another bone's been found

somewhere, a tooth or fragment
of an eggshell dusted off,
brushing away some long-held notion
about their life-span
or intelligence, warm blood
or cold. On the floor
they face off as if debating
the latest find, what part
of which one of them
has been discovered this time.

Or else they stand abreast
in one long row, side
by scaly side, waiting to fall
like dominoes, my son's
tossed tennis ball a neon yellow
asteroid, his shadow a dark cloud
when he stands, his fervor for them
cooling so slowly he can't feel it—
the speed of glaciers, maybe,
how one age slides into the next.

 

​

 

T-Rex Boxing
by Mike Marshall

In the jungle, the
Prehistoric jungle, the
Rexes box tonight

 

"I coulda been a contender!"

 

Discover Prehistoric Charm with Short Poems About Dinosaurs


"Dinosaurs, meaning “terrible lizards,” were a diverse group of reptiles that roamed the Earth millions of years ago. These prehistoric creatures have captured the imagination of people for centuries, and have been the subject of various poems and works of literature. From fearsome predators like Tyrannosaurus Rex to gentle giants like Brachiosaurus, dinosaurs continue to fascinate us with their size, strength, and mystery."

1. Ancient Giants
In eras past where giants trod,
Majestic dinosaurs, unflawed.
Their mighty roars once filled the air,
In ancient times, both raw and fair.


33 Short Poems About Dinosaurs