I wrote this poem in the early 90s, shortly after reading Jurassic Park. In 1996 I published it in the Usenet group rec.arts.poems, and later on one of my obscure websites. It is pretty much self-explanatory. Then, in the early oughties I read about punctuated equilibrium in Lloyd Pye's book, Everything You Know Is Wrong, where he described it as if with any major extinction-level event on Earth (we're going through the sixth and largest right now):
[it] is first allowed to stabilize, then a life-carrying cosmos-cruising dumptruck comes along to unload itself and repopulate the planet.
I don't know enough to sensibly discuss the scientific evidence regarding this view, so won't try. When I wrote the poem I figured they -- if they exist -- would be pretty pissed off with how we've treated all the work they have put in. Anyway, here it is:
They came, you know, a few eras ago
When the Earth was all oceans and rock
They brought in some creatures with self-breeding features
And started to build up some stock
Computers and genes, life-changing machines
Stellar indeed were their talents
They came now and then to check up again
They ensured that it all stayed in balance
The dinosaurs rose on their armor-plate toes
And fell after many millenia
An incoming meteor? Maybe 'twas ET more?
What was it that ended their tenure?
Whatever that history, today there's no mystery
With whole species disappearing from view
When the caretakers come, as they always have done
Should we fear what they're going to do?
