Mesonyx

{This is a response to What Pegman Saw, which, this week, is inspired by the Jiangxi Province in China, as presented by Google Maps.

I may have to define a few terms:

Mesonyx refers to an extinct wolf-like hoofed mammal, a carnivore.  Its fossilized remains have been found in this area of China, as well as in parts of the Western US.  It is believed to have originated here in Jiangxi province, and to have spread from here to other parts of the world. Though no bigger than a dog, it is considered one of the top predators of its day.

The Eocene is an epoch in the Cenozoic period.  This clock visual shows geological time, and you will find the Cenozoic period at 2 minutes before the hour, more or less, with the hour being the present time.  The Eocene lasted from 56 to 33.9 million years ago, and during this epoch, the Mesonyx lived and was at its height.  It became extinct at the end of this epoch, when there was a mass extinction.  This extinction is believed to have been caused by massive bolides (exploding meteors.)  These bolides are believed to have been responsible for the formation of Chesapeake Bay in the US, and formations in Siberia.

Jiangxi province is surrounded on three sides by mountains, some of which were used by early Communists as hiding places.  Lake Poyang is the largest freshwater lake in China, and is the body that the Gan flows into.  The Yangtze River is the northern border of Jiangxi Province.  I mentioned the South to North flow of the Gan River, which flows the entire length of Jiangxi province.  I find the fact interesting, mainly because our own local river, the St John’s, also flows North.

Thanks, as always, for the prompt and for reading!}

Long, long ago, in old Jiangxi,

A predator arose.

A quadruped.  A four-toed wolf.

Each tiny toe, a tiny hoof.

In other words, no claws.

Long, long ago, the river Gan,

Strange-flowing, South to North,

Transported food to Lake Poyang,

And to the great Yangtze, beyond,

The mountains looking on.

Long, long ago, due South and West,

These mountains sheltered seeds

That sprouted mighty Communists,

Who purged the land, from East to West,

And salved the peasants’ needs.

And here, today, we look upon

As harmless, quite extinct,

Such creatures of the Eocene.

Bidding the ancients to bow to their betters,

Poking the bones of predators:

We startle, when they blink.