Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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Why a Pet Rock? Have a Trilobite! Rocks are very old and, as a pet, are easily cared for. Unless one is knowledgeable in geology, A rock, considering it sternly, is just a rock. Of course one usually adds, at least, wiggly eyes. Now consider a Trilobite as a pet. They are very old, maintaining a rock-like morphology, Which is what this transformed body of a Trilobite is--a fossil. They were once alive--no pretending there. Trilobites existed so long--270 million years, That they morphed into 25,000 species during their time span! Thus, there are a myriad of shapes and sizes to choose from. But most of all they had real eyes--prominently placed. No need for anything fake or wiggly here. (Of course, there were a few species which were totally blind!) And finally, gazing upon its beautifully formed body, One has to be continually stunned and humbled, Realizing how very long they thrived on our planet, Comparing our perhaps 200,000 years to their nearly 300 million, Especially considering all the planetary monkeying we are doing. They disappeared, to no fault of their own, As a result of the great cooling of their ocean habitat. What a truly significant pet--there should be one in every home! 21 October 2025 0630 Hours.