For Mary Anning 1799 – 1847
When lightning struck that tree —
bright as a thousand suns—
somehow, you survived,
unlike the woman holding you.
Later when, despite your meagre life
and the never-ending struggle
to make a living from those cliffs,
your brilliant mind,
your skills and understanding
of those ancient creatures of the sea,
were, they said,
some sort of magic,
created by that lightning strike.
Impossible, it could be otherwise.
.
Tonnie Richmond
Illustration Mary Anning out fossil hunting with her loyal dog, Tray. (Image credit: Unknown Artist/National History Museum of London)
.