Those of you who have read my most recent blog installment will see the connection with this poem. Let me add that some researchers believe that the Neanderthals’ extinction has to do with their relatively poorer communication skills, which made it more difficult for them to form community and share with modern humans. (Note that Modern Humans is a recent term that refers to the species that is also known as Cro-Magnon.)
Enjoy!
My Grandpa Neanderthal
Thanks to you
i survived god-knows-what
my lungs hollowed out
from outdoor living
sleeping
in the dank
and cold
In my ignorance
i knew not what
seeds to plant
nor what
herbs served as
prehistoric
meds
i surpassed you
to be sure
but when
great great great
grandma met you
you held the cards
You had the genes
i lacked
to fight those
unseen bugs
that may well have
struck me down
You possessed
the knowledge
nay wisdom of
daily life
what to plant
how to hunt
and build
No one would say
you were the great
communicator
your group life
was well
primitive
We moderns
like to think we
were the cutting edge
most diggers
into the past
would agree
But you broke
the mold
god be praised
that night
in a cold
siberian cave
You caught
great great
great grandma’s
eye
the rest is
prehistory
(C) Phil Hefner
3/28/2014 #1
liftthescreen 
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