Conflict Myth/Rusting of the Golden Age

Used for fortune and time telling,
blackbirds were something of a religion
in the pre-incorporation days. The people-ers
of the land honored their gods by throwing the beginnings
of the table of elements into the river.
This upset their more established neighbors,
the cardinal-worshippers, who coveted the elements
(esp. the lithium, the boron, and, yes, the neon).
The cardinal-worshippers took control of the area
by smashing all the monster-holding glass coffins
on display in the public square.
Music boxes and the 1/100th sized ballerinas
they housed were banned outright. Panic ensued.
And all the blackbirds were ordered dead by water lung.
It was the worst of times, it was the worstest of times…
The people started looking up at the moon and crying out,
“You are pock-marked and gelid and way too orange.”
They cried out accusingly, “Discombobulating shape-shifter!
All you do is follow me around.” And they cried out bewilderingly,
“You are like the big sister I never wanted to acknowledge.”