Battle on Olympus

“Back off!” I said.
He had definitely gotten in my space.
Tensions were climbing.
A brawl was about to start.

One day back after the hike up Olympus
And this guy wanted my pail.
My child’s pail, strainer and tiny shovel,
No way Dud!

In the brawn part of an archeological study.
“Had glaciers existed on Mt Olympus?”,
We grunts measured and tested
Circes on the top, and residue on the bottom.

That day we were charged with
Collecting small sea shells from the Aegean,
A task that called for wading into
A warm, clear sea, in search of past glaciers

Our task required taking a child’s pail,
Filling with sand and walking to the waters edge
Strain the sand, save shells & dump the remainder,
Momentarily discoloring the blue. green water.

Locals watched, and concluded we were a danger,
Both to the sea, and the small rise
Where the sand had resided.
We were undermining the mountain
They demanded possession of shovel, strainer and pail.

We could be terrorists,
Bent on destroying Mount Olympus
Along with the entire Mediterranean.
We had to be stopped.

Take my pail? Not likely.
I loved my pail.
No, I would fight to retain it,
Until the neighboring Neanderthals
produced palm sized throwing rocks.

Welcome to 25,000 BC.