See You Later

One misty morn in a Cretaceous wood
Two brothers at a trailhead stood-
One path led to the prair’
The other toward the trees.
Down the latter the younger repaired,
“I shall see you later,” said his sibling to he.

The older brother went to the plains,
Where his legs grew long midst the grains-
With a nose as keen as mustard,
And big batty ears, and eyes by night to see.
He loped after antelope and bison and bustard,
“A mighty hunter thou art,” said he himself to he.

His younger sibling remained in his trees,
Til one morn a dare was on the breeze-
He came down and stood upon two feet alone,
Hairless and tall, with a mind by light to work.
Endeavoring to learn all things known and unknown,
“Anointed thou art,” said he to himself with a smirk.

Long were the brothers parted in their ways,
No longer did they share any common gaze-
One life under the sky, the other indoor,
The younger brother saw a god in a stone,
While the older, with great-tusked Tantor,
In the Moon found his Own.

The younger brother fought his wars for gold,
The elder for his Pack, in the hunt of the buffalo-
Cain killing only when he had need,
Abel though he knew it was wrong,
The latter toiled midst the thistle and weed,
Whilst the former from the hills bayed out his sad moonsong.

Later, much later, the two brothers were again to meet,
Not long after the younger ate of an apple 
        and suffered his worst defeat.
With a wag of a tail, and ears flattened along his back,
Marveling at how much his sibling knew, how he had grown,
The older of the pair came back,
Bearing a stick for his brother to throw.

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The cover art for this poem is a collage of stock photos, made by the author.