Those Metal Monsters

[deckardcanine]

When I think of what frightened me most as a kid,
I first think of things that make noise,
Like thunder and vacuums, but also I feared
Some things represented in toys,
Specifically heavy construction equipment
(I wasn't like most other boys).

I knew on some level they're neither alive
Nor robots with minds of their own,
But they hardly resemble what parents would drive
And they look fit to pulverize bone.
The bulldozers, steam shovels, forklifts and cranes—
I wouldn't go near them alone.

It sure didn't help that they "grumble" along,
And most of them come rather big.
I called them all monsters despite what they do:
Just move heavy objects and dig.
Yet these were the years when I totally dug
Learning dinosaur info; go fig.