Dragon Heart

In the darkness of a distant land
She abides life’s trials
Riding on the back of a dragon,
Hanging on for dear life, 
One hand clutching 
Worn and weathered scales
While with the other, 
Cradling precious memories 
Like a gilded egg.

One long, sleepless night she lay 
Alone between the dragon’s eyes
Where the four winds met,
The weight of far off burdens 
Thrust upon her,
Her knight fading into midnight
Though the burn of his fingers lingered
Emblazoned on her skin
But she could not follow 
To catch dragon breath in her hands
Where just one lick of the tongue
Could swallow her whole

Other times she danced
Upon the dragon’s head,
Tickling an ear with soft whispers
Born of magic, chanted
In three-word spells,
Humming to the lingering timbre
Of love songs and ballads 
By the light of the moon,
While bathed in the softest shade of blue
That painted her beautiful

Like Cinderella, she waits
For the fairytale to be re-written,
Catching dreams in spider webs 
And carving them into poetry
Scribed on the scales
Of her primordial steed


Janet Reid
august 2008