The Dragon Year



Would you like

To make friends with a dragon?

Flying with it

Perched somehow

Between its wings?



The thing is

Well,

The thing is

It’s a dragon

It’s big

It’s long

It has scales

It’s powerful

With wings

And claws

And when it chooses

Exhaling fire



An aircraft carrier

In the ocean

Between islands

Might let

The dragon land

While sailors worry about

This temporary

Guest



And those in planes

Might worry,

Too,

About what’s flying

Next to them

That waves with wings

While the sun

Blinks off its armor

And its talons



But mostly

It is a matter of

What’s really inside

The dragon

As in

What are its intentions?

What is it plan?



Dragons are powerful

But it’s the good

Or bad

We might have

To know

Before deciding

How close

And is it possible

To be a friend with it



Maybe if it’s lying down,

You could move

Closer to its head

To talk

Maybe to have

Its name

And give it yours

And ask,

Well,

What are its plans?



Maybe it’s here

For a year on Earth

Before

Going on to other worlds

Maybe some

That are replete with flying serpents

Maybe one world that is

Its first home



Maybe

While it’s here

It will

Teach us about power

That it is neither

Good

Nor

Bad

But we must make it so

We must decide



And it will not make us choose

But sort of

Sit and stand

And fly, of course,

To show that power

Is immense

Sometimes

And sometimes

It will be there

Sitting

Standing

Flying

Ready for us

To be good

Or bad

With it



So that

Enormous questions

For the answers

Might be ours

As in

What are our intentions?

What are our plans?



And so we have this dragon

To consider

Maybe

Maybe to ride upon

As well

If we can negotiate

The wonder



And also,

Well,

To think about the dragons

We have made:

Our larger things

And all

That we can do

With these



While we have this special year

With our magic,

Divine

Visitor

That might protect

Even defend us

Should we learn the language

And the manner

In dealing with dragons

Like this dragons

Or the dragons

We must own

Now and

Once it’s left us for

Another year

And more,

That is,

Eleven more



During which with

All the more enormous

Creatures

Of our own

We’ll be creaturing



C L Couch





Photo by Michael Buillerey on Unsplash

Binondo, Manila, Philippines