In an eerie, bleak, stoned prison
A shady-eyed inferno sat quivering.
Wings held tight against its weak, limp body
A head held high and proud.
Many a place did the creature see.
High trees with crimson leaves.
Deep churning seas tinted green.
Pink sunrises and purple sunsets.
Black stirring night skies with white stars
Curled snowflakes in a winter storm
And then, imprisonment,
Imprisoned for being free.
For being wild and irrational
And now, with wings curled and breath hot with anger
The Dragon sat with a head held high.
A breathless wonder nonetheless,
But mistakenly understood,
Dangerous claws and sharp fangs made up the jail.
And the creature sat staring out into an unexplored world.
The thoughts came in out of nowhere.
Death! Death to those cruel enough to chain up such extraordinary life!
They made their own violence.
This would not be an inch of the way into the Dragon’s dreams if they let it go.
They made their own monster.
Many a violence did that monster see.
Black blood spilled over petty matters.
Kind hearts turned harsh from a single person’s stupidity.
Painful punishments for painless acts,
Away! Away cried the creature into the cell!
Never had this been shown to its peaceful life.
Peaceful times were behind the horizon, hidden and controlled.
Love everlasting in one look.
The warmth of a summer breeze,
Sweet smelling flower buds exposing out of the earth.
Such a nice world those memories seemed to be trapped in.
Yet, it was the same world of the violent thoughts.
How could it have come to this?
The Dragon stirred uncomfortably in its stone confinement.
Of course this had to be somewhere else.
Somewhere insensitive and hostile it must’ve been.
For this was nowhere the creature had ever been.
Or ever wanted to be.
One night in an unnatural, dreary, dark prison
A gloomy-eyed flame stood calm.
Wings tucked comfortably behind its back.
Its head ducked down in sadness.
Many a tear did it shed.
Too many, if possible for such misery
One, for the person that did such a crime that caused such melancholy.
Because they were as troubled as the Dragon.
Because they had not seen the comforts the creature had seen.
Cool autumn winds bursting with leaves.
Waters refreshing and icy to the taste with sparkling colors
Cloudless blue skies with bright yellow, warming sunlight
Full of life, navy blue nights and bursting harvest moons.
This was imprisonment, not the freedom it had known.
A cold drafty cell with no light to be found
And a drippy, leaky ceiling with no comfortable sleeps possible.
Hungry, gurgling stomach, loud enough to shake the cage,
Chilly winter, chilly summer, no warmth
Death would not repay those who were found responsible for this.
This, this was not a life.
This was not even a death.
This was another planet all its self.
Sunlight never seemed so longing in all its existence, if it did at all.
Nighttime never seemed so free and wild, if it was even alive anymore.
Who knew? It could be gone.
Gone like the Dragon’s passive approach towards people.
Gone like a loved one with big heart and small name.
Somewhere the monster heard a footstep.
A soft careful step,
One of the most enchanting things that it’d heard in a while.
And many a thing had the Dragon heard before,
Many lively sounds
Music with honey tinted notes.
Crisp, graceful poetry filled with gripping words.
Adventurous tales told by enthusiastic authors.
And now this, this alert captivating footstep
A pale figure stood at the cell door.
Silent and small with curious eyes that stretched on forever and yet stayed close by.
The monster arched its back and showed its teeth.
This one was responsible. Or wasn’t it?
The little person gave it a comforting gaze and pulled out keys.
Keys to freedom
Keys to the unknown world of the outside
Just a simple bronze key
The Dragon folded up its wings and glanced questionably at the young person.
She unlocked the cage with a delightful metallic click.
The creature, the monster, faded to the back of the mind
This one was good, this one saw what the others did not.
This one was kindhearted.
She understood.
Was it perhaps that she saw what the creature saw?
Two worlds, one kind and one dark, co-existing,
Never minding the dark world, but breathing in the brighter?
When the Dragon took flight again it was a beautiful flight.
The night was welcoming as ever and the hidden peace behind the horizon visible.
The loving creature stole a last look at the prison.
It saw the little girl, smiling happily.
She must’ve known exactly how the creature felt.
One daylight in an eerie, bleak, stoned prison
A shady-eyed inferno sat quivering.
Wings held tight against its weak, limp body
And yet a head held high and proud.
Escaping into the night it flew.
With peaceful purpose and mind.
- Written By Madison Court
