I like the idea

that god had a dinosaur phase

just like I did

                                          though mine ended

with a little less
              panache
                                          I owned an encyclopaedia

with hole-punched pages
even had some memorised

              diplodocus and brontosaurus

              which looked quite similar

                                                         long necks
which I would put out there

                             god’s Power Ranger phase

was next

              I learned a lot in mine

the clear delineation

between righteous

and evil

goodies

and baddies

and that the latter

                             were almost always

                                           more elaborately costumed
              I would dress up as the black ranger

with the mastodon on my chest

                                           the same mastodon

Maya Angelou spoke of

                                           the same mastodon

              that is gone now

                                           like the poet
like the clear line

between good

and evil

though a lot of bad guys

                                                         still wear Boss
all that is left

                             post Power Ranger

is frayed and snapped

              the pull cord

of a talking action figure

with three unique phrases

on virtuosity
                                          god

sitting string in hand

              master of his own

                                          little universe

screaming

                                            “mum it’s not a phase”

as he shuffles his Pokémon cards

or plays gameboy

or listens to Fall Out Boy

with his door

                             slammed shut.