Aphelion Issue 298, Volume 28
September 2024
 
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The Purple Pterodactyl

by Thom Hinks
(with apologies to Ogden Nash)


The purple pterodactyl soared o'er the forest primeval.
His nostrils flared — his eyes shone like the devil.
There! a lethargic koala (?) in a bamboo tree
And a fuzzy kookaburra (?) sunning himself by the sea?
NO! They don't exist at this temporal stage,
For they belong to a different age!

But these misconceptions don't cause him to fret.
"What care I these creatures have not evolved yet."
He chortled, "That's just a developmental twist.
And after all, I'm no anthropologist."

He made a beeline and without a pause
He swooped and gathered them both in his jaws;
And then, with a belch, he gulped them both up
And swallowed them whole — hiccup, hiccup!


© 2023 Thom Hinks

Thom is a senior citizen exploring his love of writing, including science fiction and fantasy. his earlier submissions to Aphelion were Captain's Log and the Christmas Carol prequal, Marley Laughed.

Find more by Thom Hinks in the Author Index.