I admit to having the maturity of an adolescent boy, but the University of Dubuque's sculpture outside its welcome center might make a more mature person giggle:
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| Sculpture abutting the Peter and Susan Smith Welcome Center at the University of Dubuque. |
I thought of the inspiration of my scientific predecessors, such as Val Kilmer in Real Genius, and considered developing a new course, Boulder Balancing, or a cross-listed course with music. Hard Rock for the Rock Hard. But even if I could slip it past the administration, some parent would probably complain about their innocent college student child being exposed to such mind-expanding material.
Instead, I walked around the sculpture, admiring its form, photoing it from a low angle looking upward. And suddenly I realized that I had totally misunderstood the sculpture.
This was no paean to a penis!
No, this was a statement about Mother Earth's crushing of male hubris:
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| A different angle dangles a different interpretation. |
In geology classes, I have often talked about the death of the dinosaurs when a huge rock from space impacted Earth, killing of the dinosaurs, and I was reminded of the words sung by The Police:
Walking in Your Footsteps
Fifty million years ago
You walked upon the planet so
Lord of all that you could see
Just a little bit like me
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Hey Mr. Dinosaur
You really couldn't ask for more
You were God's favorite creature
But you didn't have a future
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Hey mighty brontosaurus
Don't you have a lesson for us
You thought your rule would always last
There were no lessons in your past
You were built three stories high
They say you would not hurt a fly
If we explode the atom bomb
Would they say that we were dumb?
We're walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
Walking in your footsteps
They say the meek shall inherit the earth
They say the meek shall inherit the earth
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Gordon Matthew Sumner
Walking in Your Footsteps lyrics © Songs Of Universal Inc.
