by Marshall Begel

A paleontologist at the University of Illinois Chicago “turned an Essexella [fossil] specimen upside down
while doing research. Immediately, the seemingly amorphous blob’s true identity began to take shape.”
—The New York Times

“‘Magical’ self-portrait was hidden for decades—until the canvas was flipped”
—The Washington Post

If masterpieces can be found,
And fossil science rectified,
By turning well-known things around
And looking at the other side,
Can changing views expose a clearer
Picture we’d be thrilled to find?

Alas, my full-length bedroom mirror
Reveals an image not so kind.