Fossils
O, its bones may be colossal,
But the trouble with a fossil
Is that it doesn’t give a clue
As to the creature’s actual hue.
Those Pterodactyl things that flew,
Were they red or green or blue?
And that Brontosaurus fellow,
Did he come in mauve and yellow?
As for those Stegosaurus types,
Maybe they had snazzy stripes?
And was Tyrannosaurus Rex
Perhaps adorned with spots or checks?
And was old Archaeopteryx
Just one colour, or a mix?
And Woolly Mammoth, what d’you think,
Purple, puce or shocking pink?
But the trouble with a fossil
Is that it doesn’t give a clue
As to the creature’s actual hue.
Those Pterodactyl things that flew,
Were they red or green or blue?
And that Brontosaurus fellow,
Did he come in mauve and yellow?
As for those Stegosaurus types,
Maybe they had snazzy stripes?
And was Tyrannosaurus Rex
Perhaps adorned with spots or checks?
And was old Archaeopteryx
Just one colour, or a mix?
And Woolly Mammoth, what d’you think,
Purple, puce or shocking pink?
About Nicola Schofield, the illustrator: Having drawn and painted all manner of things in recent years, Nicola has come to realise that illustrating children's literature is the most fun. She continues to illustrate various projects while working towards her first picture book. Nicola mainly works in watercolour and digital media and is an admin for her local chapter of Urban Sketchers, often to be seen drawing on the streets of Berkshire.
This poem is copyright (©) Colin West 2024
About the Writer
Colin West
Colin lives in Battle, East Sussex. He studied Graphic Design and Illustration and has written and illustrated over 50 children’s books. His poems have appeared in anthologies by Roger McGough and Julia Donaldson. He now writes purely for his own pleasure and enjoys collecting old books, mainly of poetry.