Pete's Lump of Coal

300 million years until Pete gets his lump of coal,
it’s still a mix of gooey plants inside a muddy hole.
200 million years until the big surprise for Pete,
the plants are slowly changing from the pressure, earth, and heat.
100 million years until Pete’s stocking gets a pour,
the coal is underground beneath a roaring dinosaur.
200,000 years until Pete learns if he’s been nice,
the coal is waiting peacefully while mammoths trudge through ice.
One hundred years until Pete’s gift falls out and rolls around,
the lump of coal is mined from deep beneath the rocky ground.
Just fifty years until Pete learns he’s earned a lump of coal,
the lump is put in storage at the planet’s northern pole.
The second Pete receives his coal, he whoops a mighty cheer:
“Wa-Hoo! That Santa read my list!! I’ve been so good this year!”
The minute after Pete’s surprise, he shows his mom and dad.
“This present traveled all through time! Best gift I’ve ever had!”