OK Earth, don’t worry - you have the time;
You are but middle aged, still in your prime.
(A billion plus years then the Sun gets fat
And you toasted as a result of all that).
***
You were kind, you let plants proliferate
And independent life forms propagate;
Dinosaurs ruled and with distinction
For millions of years until extinction.
***
Later humans popped in, a stay far more brief
Their destructive nature beyond belief;
Prospects of any legitimate plans
Nil as internecine conflict expands.
***
Will it be cockroaches or perhaps rats,
Although who knows, it may even be bats
Which provide a new evolutionary tree
One with its cooperative sap running free.
-
Author:
Doggerel Dave (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: August 18th, 2026 01:35
- Comment from author about the poem: Simple unsophisticated rhyme with simple (I hope) observation.
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 34
- Users favorite of this poem: Paul Bell, Tristan Robert Lange, Syd
Offline)
Comments10
Yes, we've 'only' a few billions years left. Doh! Why do I waste them in NS pursuits? lol.
And that, Sir is the question (not that 'Billions' has much relevance to me - or perhaps you)...what's it all about, do you think?
Well, Goldfinch and I are millions of years old, so say, so..........
Might depend on which 'billion' we use - USA (9 zeros), or UK (12 zeros).
Yay this is great orchi. I didn't finish my research there (exhausted after tryinbg to find rhymes - why do I punish mysef so?) and wot about millions - are they a sixer?
Much time anyway, whichever way you look at it.
Now Dave I love the concept of this poem and would have to agree with it. It would be just karma so to speak if roaches took over, rats far too intelligent on a human scale of intelligence, meaning too similar to us. Roaches on the other hand a completely different type of intelligence that may fare far better and seem to be more eco friendly and as far as I know don't wage wars.
Thanks Soren. It is of course impossibe to predict how this might transpire, but above all I wanted to attempt some perspective. Impossible to predict of course, but I needed to project a sense of proportion over my preoccupations, let alone the World's.
You are welcome Dave. I do not share the delusions of most of humanity that it not only will survive due to its technological and intellectual superiority but will rule the universe and become immortal. I think it will soon burn out making way for something else.
That's about where I am too Soren. Thanks.
Yeah, seemingly cockroaches are going to rule the earth when AI kills us off.
Don't know what DNA cockroaches have, but it must be indestructable.
Next time someone calls me a cockroach, I'll tell them, if only.
Oh how ambition can soar in troubled times when it isn't sitting under a pile of pessimistic rocks....
Apparently Cockroaches can survive Radiation.
Didn't they put one in a Microwave and it survived. Wonder how many Creatures they put in before the Cockroach?
As for who'll take over the Earth in the future?
My money's on the Darleks.
Wot about kangaroos? Feel I should advocate for them since we are neighbours....
Dave, this scales human arrogance down to its proper geological size...brief, destructive, and far less essential than we imagine. The possibility of more cooperative successors gives the ending a deliciously dark optimism. I, for one, welcome our future bat overlords. 🦇🤣🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
Yes. Tristan, I did with tongue in cheek suggest kangaroos above, but as these have been known to posess pugalistic tendences, It was only because they live close by I felt the need....
Slightly more seriously, bats must be a strong contender, for their winged nature cannot be discounted (cf. dinosaurs and birds).
Further, your appreciation of my guesswork is empathic in the extreme. Many thanks .
Hey what a crazy, okay maybe simple (depending on the way one looks at it) but I would suggest sophisticated rhyme, with a profoundly obvious observation .. Made me wanna go get my shovel out again and put an extra few feet between me and the blistering shock waves just around the corner .. Neville
Cheers, Neville. Not sure a shovel or anything else, given the state of play is going to make much resistance to, it appears, the inevitable march of geological history.
As a total side issue, I do wonder what ancient artefacts will remain to mark the very brief reign of humans.
Hi Dave,
This is definitely one of my favourite writes. I actually think we are the cockroaches.
- Syd 🍄
Thanks for your support, Syd.
Are you attributing all our faults and failings upon poor blameless cockroaches ? Shame on you! 😂
Good luck.
With your support I am assured I am correct, Missy.
enjoying your attempt at rhyming, and agree with all the facts and thoughts shared..
i too have read that cockroaches are indestructible, and yet - here we go swatting them as soon as we see one..
so let's see who survives what, when and how..
cheers to a long, healthy life for all till then...
I know it has its contradictions - there is a part of me that hates the need to swat, but I respond to current social conditions; I pay for privacy and shelter, and don't want or need interlopers. Cockies must wait their turn. If I could sit down with them and tell them to bugger off, I would... anyway their reign will come soon enough.
In the meantime I'm sure you will agree to enjoy life while you've got it and can...
agree with your views - and it's true that we have to maintain our privacy, and ward off interlopers - and yes let us enjoy life while we can..cheers...
There’s a damn wry charm to this cosmic roast of humanity, with Earth treated like an old friend patiently watching us screw things up. I especially like the ending—cockroaches, rats, or bats inheriting the planet gives the whole thing a wonderfully sardonic kick.
Normally I don’t gamble (blindingly clear profits not made by the gambler…) however here on a terrestrial level over time I think these might be a perfect trifecta. Any of them could be the winner – let’s only hope it is the right one…
Thanks for your call, Thomas. I wanted to put a large perspective into place and wasn’t sure how this would be received.
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