Maybe We'd Call It Holocene Park

Dear Dr. Wu,

Imagine it was you

we brought back.

Imagine we'd fed

your children's liquefied bones

to a new race of beasts

in a world so changed

you would never find home.

Monster

is a relative term,

isn't it?

Imagine the ways

we could better you,

the same way you spliced our genes

and slipped your little changes up the ladder.

I've always thought

you'd look more relatable

if you'd kept the gills and tail.

Perhaps some better fur.

Imagine the enclosures

we could build for you: soft and shaded,

protected from all that could destroy you:

Storms. Quakes. Prometheus. Guns.

We'd watch you closely,

make sure you kept your hands clean

and empty. Imagine:

you could be harmless,

this time.