Policitory
By Steve Wardrip

What’s in a quagmire if not Cradenulos?
If Helioptis could talk!
Went down by the old swimming hole,
Saw a Plediuspod waiting to catch a Flupus.
Near the bank on a plank was a sun-drenched Arhilipad,
Basking and breathing slowly in its thick armor coat,
Under where the water used to be, now replaced with slime,
The sounds are loud and disturbing since the mutation.
Earth used to be quiet and relatively safe from natural disaster,
The the radiation leaks, bombs, accidents changed everything,
As we all morphed into new and different creatures, new ones came about,
Seeds from prehistoric creatures we knew nothing about? Yes, no doubt.
Now, we travel in small groups, huddled at night, stalking, being stalked,
We talk in hushed whispers, watching each others backs, find food, move on,
It’s not like the old days when there were homes, buildings, cars and order,
Today we are chased by slow, determined six-legged crab-like furry critters.
I wish I wasn’t a Priops. I liked being a human. Now with talons for hands,
I had soft skin, now, with a lizard-like hide, I feel more like an alien inside.
My eyes glow green and yellow, I smell like sulphur, I burp electronic fire,
Inside, a burning fire to eat crystal rocks if I can find them. I lust with desire.
Here, now, the Geonticlux, the biggest and baddest of them all, comes for us,
We pull a long rope tight, trip him, he falls and shatters in a thunderous roar,
We build a fire with a magnifying glass and cook dinner for a thousand more,
Our accomplishment as a tribe, we conquer, move on, wary of invading Trox.

