if there are talking dragons
brief review

how does one get
to know
a hippo
or a rhino
or a tiger or
a lion

from a distance
I imagine
and
outside of special stories
do not expect any
talking back except in a language
we
won’t know and no evidence
most likely of
hearing
or friendship in other ways

food could help
and
I doubt it

except for Christmas midnight
or
for Balaam’s charge
we
don’t have animals talking
and
there are fantasies
some rather
famous

so when it comes to dragons
what
to expect
and again it’s handled famously

from
Tolkien and Yolen
to Revelation where the dragon is
assigned the form of
Satan

and that might be just
or
has nature been absconded with the normal
thing
well
what
might be normal
anyway

so we could
might as well
be on our own in our encounters
with
the creatures

dragons at home or in
the world

and if they talk
I’d say
to listen

and if they lunge
and
you can
strike

and if they’re evil
well
like people that’s one thing
too

but if there is
some moral value as
with people
then
there might be hope after overriding
instincts by all involved
that something
good in
the exchange might follow

but
if there is a beast then there’s a beast
then to weight the chances
combat or
escape

there is the middle ground that
sounds good
and is
though with dragons like the Djinn
there could be mischief

so if they talk
then
best guess on what dragons are saying
then
of course
how to respond

the gleam
might
tell you of the eyes more than
the scale

or
you know
you go like me
which is to say at home
and read
and
maybe write from
time
that is
passage
to time
and so more chapters

and leave the keeper of the scales
alone
even souvenirs attributed
hawked in bazaars

c l couch

photo by Sei on Unsplash
Kyoto