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The Stromatolite Empire; A poem...about stromatolites. Bet it's never been done before.
Topic Started: Nov 19 2012, 09:33 PM (403 Views)
The Xenologist
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This is a poem I wrote for my creative writing class...I'm pretty sure no one has ever used the word "stromatolites" in a poem before. Just recently (as in, 2 days or so ago) this poem was nominated as an Editor's Pick for Teen Ink magazine. Exciting! Feel free to critique and...stuff. Whatever you tend to do with poems.

Ahem:

The Stromatolite Empire

Come is the time of the First Empire,
Of blue-green microbe growth and rocky spire.
No living thing stirs actively
Within the gray and ancient sea.

Come is the time of the Sea’s Empire,
Of exquisite fins and snail-shell spire.
With new eyes their world they spy
And one by one evolve or die.

Come is the time of the Land’s Empire,
Of great armored bulk and green plant spire.
Stromatolites upon the shores
Looked down upon by dinosaurs.

Come is the time of Man’s Empire,
Of politics and shiny metal spire.
But civil wars and civil rights
Mean nothing to stromatolites.

Come is the time of the New Empire,
Of architecture strange and crystal spire.
They now believe life’s fight is won
Beneath the red and aging sun.

Come is the time of the Last Empire,
Of blue-green microbe growth and rocky spire.
No living thing stirs actively
Within the gray and ancient sea.
"The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible." -Arthur C. Clarke
"I am certain there is too much certainty in the world." -Michael Crichton
"When a man is tired of dinosaurs, he is tired of life, for there is in a dinosaur all that life can afford." -Queen Victoria
"Fair is what we see, fairer what we have perceived, fairest what is still in veil." -Blessed Nicolas Steno

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zaktan
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A poem about blue-green algae. I think my life is complete now xD
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The Xenologist
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Thanks! And it works so well for a poem, I'm surprised how nicely it turned out!
"The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible." -Arthur C. Clarke
"I am certain there is too much certainty in the world." -Michael Crichton
"When a man is tired of dinosaurs, he is tired of life, for there is in a dinosaur all that life can afford." -Queen Victoria
"Fair is what we see, fairer what we have perceived, fairest what is still in veil." -Blessed Nicolas Steno

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zaktan
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Yeah, I like your metaphor of the stromatolites being a city of sorts...
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The Xenologist
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Yeah, and how they're there all along while other "empires" rise and fall, and then at the end of life on Earth they're all that's left and it's right back where it began. And how humans are only there for a moment. I was thinking while I was writing this, if we could communicate with stromatolites we probably wouldn't get along with them, because we want people to care about our problems, and stromatolites have seen so much that our problems are insignificant.
"The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible." -Arthur C. Clarke
"I am certain there is too much certainty in the world." -Michael Crichton
"When a man is tired of dinosaurs, he is tired of life, for there is in a dinosaur all that life can afford." -Queen Victoria
"Fair is what we see, fairer what we have perceived, fairest what is still in veil." -Blessed Nicolas Steno

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Zoroaster
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nice.... top work... you get two gold stars my friend :OD: :)
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Mr Mysterio
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You have earned my respect.

You have created a well-written poem about the evolution of life on earth in a well done poetic way.

I salute you, sir.
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T.Neo
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That is quite impressive. Great work. :)
A hard mathematical figure provides a sort of enlightenment to one's understanding of an idea that is never matched by mere guesswork.
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The Xenologist
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Thank you everyone!
"The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible." -Arthur C. Clarke
"I am certain there is too much certainty in the world." -Michael Crichton
"When a man is tired of dinosaurs, he is tired of life, for there is in a dinosaur all that life can afford." -Queen Victoria
"Fair is what we see, fairer what we have perceived, fairest what is still in veil." -Blessed Nicolas Steno

Visit the lovely Second Earth!
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Ebervalius
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MAAAN! This poem sounds really nice, I love it! Congratulations, my friend.
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