Ocean Ancestor

Said the squid to the octopus,
"Look at this sight!
It's our ancient ancestor,
the cool ammonite."

The octopus did
as his cousin had bid.
"It looks kind-of like you,"
he said to the squid,

"except rather rockier,
greyer and dead."
"I think it's a bit more
like you," the squid said.

But, locked in its fossilhood,
try as it might,
not a word did it utter,
that old ammonite.

So we'll leave it to dream
of pre-fossilisation,
when dinosaurs ruled
every forested nation

while (here, squid and octopus
do both agree),
their ammonite ancestor
ruled every sea.

poem © Celia Warren 2013

I found this fossil on the beach at South Ferriby, Lincolnshire, about 50 years ago.