POEMS OF THE WEEK: Speaking of Dragons, with Elizabeth, Annell and Myrna

We have a fun feature for you today, poet friends. Recently, Elizabeth Crawford, of Soul’s Music, Annell Livingston of SomeThings I Think About, and Myrna Rosa of Daily Spirit wrote poems about dragons. Elizabeth often writes wonderful conversations with her own personal dragons, so I was thrilled when Annell and Myrna wrote dragon poems as well. I can never resist a feature full of dragons! Let’s dive in, but carefully. We don’t want to get singed by hot dragon breath!

Marananthaheth

by Elizabeth Crawford

SNIPPET

Marananthaheth?

“Yez, little one…”

Do Dragons dance?

“Ummm, why yezz we do.
When we fly.
We flip, we frolic,
how do you zzay?
We loopdaloop.
Iz that not danzing?”

Yes, I guess so…
But do you hear
music, when you do
that?

“Muzzic? Umm,
do you mean
like when you zzing
a szertain zong,
and move your body
to the rhythmz
of the wordsz?”

Yes, like that…

“Little one, the Univerze
is filled with muzic.
Every planet, each sztar,
zings a different
szong. And, we dragonz
hear them all.
Do you know
that the treez,
here on your world
zing, each one, a different
zong, and how do you szay?
Harmonizze?”

Really? How I wish
I had the ears
of a dragon.

She leans down with a smile
and says, “We all have been
given giftz and limitationz.
Each szervez a purpoze.
But, know with
a szertainty, that you
have the ear
of thizz dragon.”

Elizabeth Crawford  4/18/2018

Marananthaheth

by Elizabeth Crawford

Elizabeth: On the spur of the moment, I agreed to do one word prompts for the month of April, poem a day challenge. Got about two weeks into it, and started feeling that draggy, tired, why am I doing this to myself feeling. So, I put up the word "dragon", for the next day's prompt. As soon as I did that, I heard the first stanza of this conversation and started laughing.

Then realized that, for the most part, the dragons, especially Heth, have stepped into that challenge to revive my willingness to continue, every time I've attempted it.

The rest of the poem fell into place quite quickly and was very satisfying when it was finished. I was back to knowing I was in the right place, doing the right thing for me.

Sherry: I always enjoy the deep truth that your dragons speak to you, Elizabeth. You are lucky to have your own personal dragons.

I loved it when Annell wrote the following poem. Let's take a peek:

Annell, in front of one of her art pieces

at an art show in Santa Fe

A DRAGON OF YOUR OWN

Of course the word is dragon

Your "familiar"

He goes where you go

He waits for you to catch up

He has lived long

The subject of many tales

He once belonged to a man from China

That is where he learned to read Chinese

And speak the words in his own way

He learned to fly ages ago

He lived in a castle

Loved by a queen

Played with children on the grass

Few people pay attention to him anymore

He flies around the neighborhood

Eats small dogs for lunch

He is what is called a gentle dragon

He will never eat you

I wonder, do you fly with him

Do you take him to school

He is as old as can be

Seen many things

But loves only you

Annell Livingston April 18, 2018

source

Annell: I think in the back of my mind, I was thinking of Alice Walker’s book, The Temple of My Familiar.   A book I read many years ago.   In this book, each character is searching for his/her true identity, and their past serves as both an obstacle and the key to knowing their real place in history, society, and the world.  This book is full of many beautiful ideas and meanings about life, feminism, love and spirituality.   I cannot say how, but the ideas of this book began to weave with my ideas about dragons.

I saw the dragon as a metaphor or symbol that related to our history.   Each life spun out of the ancestors, many tales to be told.   Historically the dragon is a symbol of power, strength, and good luck.   He/she has control over water, rainfall, typhoons and floods.

In this poem, I was writing to Elizabeth’s prompt, for Ladies in Waiting.  I know that Elizabeth is especially fond of the dragon as her spirit animal.  I wanted to make him very personal.  He has lived many years, and at one time belonged to a man in China. 

I think I just dove in and he came alive, he told me about his life, and how people don’t pay much attention to him anymore.  

And then as if I were talking to Elizabeth as a child, and I ask does she fly with him, and does she take him to school?  And I acknowledge , her personal dragon loves only her.

Sherry: A truly delightful tale, and poem. I love it! Let's wrap up with Myrna's dragons, who are feeling a bit sad today.

Myrna's dragons,

created by Martha Roditti

THE GREAT DRAGONS MOURN THE WORLD

A long, long, long time ago

There lived a happy dragon family 

It relied on the power of magic 

That prevailed all around them

Vibrant greens, blues, yellows, reds
All the colors in the spectrum of light

Lived in everything 

Including their hearts

Which beat to the rhythm of rainbows

One day the magic changed

The dragon family was petrified

When colors of a darkened future were revealed

The dragons saw through space and time

Trees, plants, animals, flowers

Slumped until they died

Humans who refused to leave died too

The ones who left never found another paradise

All waters turned brown,
Grey the ground

Earth slowly wilted

The happy dragons were transformed

Into dragons that could only weep
Knowing the world would end
in dark permanent sleep
Their scales like raindrops fell

Because magic had no power over hell

Because when you know your Mother will die

All a dragon can do is cry

Myrna Rosa, April 22, 2018

 I made no attempt to infuse hope in my poem today, though I am hopeful for this earth.  But I just wanted to acknowledge the sadness I feel for earth as it endures...us.

source

Myrna: My poem about the dragons was inspired by sculptured ceramic dragons created by my friend, Martha Roditti.  She is a creative, talented artist who typically makes whimsical pieces.  However, with these dragons, she diverted from her usual fun style and, in my opinion, produced a touching, evocative set of very sad dragons.

When I first saw these, I immediately felt the grief of these poor creatures who are helpless to save the world they love.  The art that most impresses us is art that reflects and expresses something that is already within us.  That is definitely the case for me and it led me to try to express in writing the sorrow in me, which they project.

Usually, when I write about the state of our world, I try to at least end a poem with some glimmer of hope.  Not this time.  I allowed myself to wallow in despair at the risk of fueling my fears too much.  It was a way for me to confront the depth of my dread realistically. Hopefully, I let it out, now I can let it go and work to nurture my optimism.

Sherry: I know exactly how you feel, Myrna. Those of us who are aware carry such grief for the state of the world, caused by humans. All living beings suffer because of one specie's mistakes. This poem rings very true for me. I try to hold onto hope, but there is a lot of pain as well, as the flood waters rise, the Arctic melts, and the forests burn or are logged to extinction. And the animals flee in terror. Sigh.

Thank you, Elizabeth, Annell and Myrna, for sharing your dragon poems with us today. They each have something important to tell us, and we love them very much. Do come back, my friends, to see who we talk to next. Who knows? It might be you!