Museum Pieces
Lines of children simply staring
Mouths agape, eyes agog
Their silence all but deafening
Surrounded by immense wonder
Ancient bones towering above
Imaginations churn and conjure
Upright beasts, some type of man
Prehistoric, fierce, and distant
Diversity as told by Mr. Darwin
Yet here, alive in their own way
Travelers plotted forgotten courses
Yet, all but coins and cannon remain
Bits of broken pottery tell
Stories of places which disappeared
Simply vanished like the night breeze
Statuary somewhat crumbled
Their eyes looking somewhere, anywhere
China, Jade, and Alabaster
Precious then, precious now
Tribal masks with faded paint
Loops of bones and sharpened claws
Marble riders atop marbled mounts
Carriages made of straw and wood
Tiny pictures etched in time
Messages sent to those who are gone
Stone and wood and art on glass
Canvas worlds stretched out before us
Jars and books and household things
Jewelry, chairs, and the royal ring
Understanding is the message here
The answers to the future
Lie in our origins