The Beast in the Lair


Whence came this great creature, the Dragon?
What manner of beast can he be?
Tales of lore do describe his beginning,
But the past is always hard to see.
Some say he was formed of the deaths,
Of creatures, some large and some small,
Whose blood mingled on top of cursed ground,
A hybrid of torment to all.
And then there are those who assure,
'Twas sorcery that caused him to be.
That those such as Merlin did cast,
Spells that would cause men to flee.

Great creatures of wisdom and strength,
And power beyond mortal control.
Terror from winds that they ruled,
And the heavens that they do patrol.
Like mighty war ships of the ocean,
They sail the gray skies of men's dread,
In search of their treasure and food,
Their hunger is ravenous, 'tis said.

With eyes like sharp daggers that pierce,
Their gaze stops the hearts of brave men.
Their bone snapping jaws have no equal,
Against which armor can seldom defend.
With the power they wield in their wings,
And the strength they possess in their claws,
They can snare a steed at a full gallup,
And in flight, dine on him with savage jaws.

Now you'd think these traits would be sufficient,
For the dragon to rule among beasts,
But there is one that we've yet to speak of,
And by far, the most harmful, not least.
Fire rages forth from his nostrils,
From his throat issues pillars of flame,
To destroy his opponents completely,
It's this power that gives dragons fame.
Even cities aren't safe from his fury,
From fiery breath many were burned.
There were few with the strength to withstand him,
Once his anger and rage had been churned.

But dragons weren't always so savage,
In fact some were quite docile and tame.
And the men they befriended were thankful,
To have dragons for friends bore no shame.
These days we don't see many dragons,
They remain in their lairs, I suppose,
Pondering their past lives of glory,
And guarding their jewels and there gold.
I hope that I may one day see one,
And if he's friendly, I may even dare,
To beg that he share with me wisdom,
As we sit upon stones in his lair.


Written by R.K. Robinson Jr,
(c) All rights reserved