Tyrannosaurus Paul... The nicest herbivore

Tyrannosaurus Rex, the fiercest of the beasts
Liked nothing better on his plate
Than a juicy piece of meat

For breakfast, he'd have sausage
A burger or two for lunch
Big rump steak for dinner
Any meat that he could munch

Tyrannosaurus Rex had a brother they called Paul
And he had a little problem...
He wasn't a carnivore

For breakfast, lunch or dinner
What he didn't like to eat
Was a sausage, burger or steak
Not any kind of meat

He liked a bowl of fruit, perhaps a light omelette
Some tomatoes and a cucumber
Or a lovely warm crumpet

Tyrannosaurus Paul just wasn't understood
Being the only herbivore
In the whole big neighbourhood

All the local diners
And restaurants across the town
Served nothing green upon the plate
Just meat that's red and brown

Anything that moved
Across the fields and plains
Was eaten by the dinosaurs
Till nothing left remained

No wild beasts to eat
All eaten or run away
All the scary dinosaurs
Grew hungrier by the day

Nothing for their breakfast
Nor anything for lunch or tea
They were getting rumbles
Deep down in their bellies
 
But Tyrannosaurus Paul had more than he could eat
His garden full of vegetables
Could feed the whole big street

Cooking in his kitchen
Smells wafting out the door
Neighbours following their noses
Came to see tyrannosaurus Paul

Seeing they were hungry, he invited them to lunch
Noodles with a stirfry
Fresh carrots that had crunch

For afters a fruit salad
All drenched in fresh yoghurt
Sprinkled with a dash of mint
And honey they could squirt

The dinosaurs all scoffed it
Asking for seconds on their plate
And they realised not eating greens
Had been a big mistake

All his friends and family
still like to eat their meat
But adding fruit and vegetables
Now makes their plate complete

For breakfast they’ll have waffles
A ceasar salad for their lunch
Chicken and veg for dinner
A balanced meal they can munch

And Tyrannosaurus Paul?
Well he’s still a herbivore
But now he gets to eat with friends
As they’re all omnivores!

Archie the Dinosaur

Hatched from an egg, his mom and dad smiled
Our little boy, now out in the wild

A sharp pointy tail, long skinny neck
Legs made for running, a beak that can peck

Learning to speak, he asked them one day
“What is my name?” so his mum began to say

It starts with “ar-kee”
Followed by an “or”
With a “Nith-uh” in the middle
And a “my-mus” that we roar

Put it all together
Repeat after us
This is your name…
“Archaeornithomimus”

About to go to school, with new friends to make
The thought of telling them his name, was keeping him awake

Could he remember what to say, would he get it all out
Would he stutter or stammer? He was having doubts

Pondering on his name, it felt a little long
The only way to remember, was to sing the little song

It starts with “ar-kee”
Followed by an “or”
With a “Nith-uh” in the middle
And a “my-mus” that we roar

Put it all together
Repeat after us
This is my name…
“Archaeornithomimus”

Calling out their names, checking that they’re there
Teacher running down the list, checking the register

Getting to his name, she stops for a minute
Working out what to say, not sure how to say it

Putting up his hand, he says “Can I help miss?”
It’s easy to remember, when you say it like this

It starts with “ar-kee”
Followed by an “or”
With a “Nith-uh” in the middle
And a “my-mus” that we roar

Put it all together
Repeat after us
This is my name…
“Archaeornithomimus”

Another little boy, sitting just behind
Said my names pretty long, people tend to find

My name’s Tyrannosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex
Most people just shorten it, they find it too complex

If we find a shorter version, you can say it very quick
People will start to use it and you’ll find that it’ll stick

If it starts with “ar-kee”
Followed by an “or”
With a “Nith-uh” in the middle
And a “my-mus” that we roar

Then taking just the start
And ignoring all the rest
We can just call you Archie
That’ll work the best

(C) Mark Sage 2013