6:30 am
the bed sheets pin me to the mattress
comforting
crushing
conspiring with my anxieties to hold me back
beginnings daunt and overwhelm
but life awaits beyond this dark den
7:24 am
snared by my own reflection
enthralled
imprisoned
less noble than Narcissus
for I still seek my self love
between blemishes and asymmetries
9:15 am
the mass of the city before me
imposing
dangerous
a jagged silhouette devours the skyline
fear and awe mingle in its shadow
where I breathe in its stinking breath
11:25 am
fear of time motivates me
wasting
spending
weighing every action by the time it takes
and how I could better use each moment
every decision is found wanting
2:56 pm
myriad injustices consume me
inequality
apathy
battles that I win and the ones I lose
wars I'm too afraid to wage
on ears that are voluntarily deaf
4:35 pm
mind and body pushed past limits
exhausted
defeated
pain mingles with relief and hope
I summon heroes stronger than me
borrowing their will to convey me home
7:00 pm
I wrap myself in fiction
wonder
escape
the fantastic and the strange envelop me
reflecting what no mirror could ever show
majesty and triumph even in the face of the beast
10:36 pm
I sleep well knowing these everyday dragons
haven't conquered me yet
**Author's Note**
This poem is the namesake of Everyday Dragons - this collection and my blog over at www.blogspot.ca/amynotdorft - and was sort of my way of trying to convey how I sometimes use fiction to navigate (or you know... survive) every day life. I wanted to sort of portray a day in the life of someone and all those little battles we take for granted. Getting up in the morning (especially for those with anxiety or depression etc.), accepting yourself, dealing with injustice (whether personal, social, global) and so many other things. These are victories that we often don't allow ourselves to celebrate, and so when I'm feeling weak or having a really rough day (week/month/year) I try to remind myself that these are my dragons. Sometimes I defeat them, sometimes I have to accept them, but at the end of the day I escaped with my life. And I think there's beauty and strength to that, which was something I wanted to try to share with others.
I hope you enjoyed it. Feel free to comment, give some feedback or favourite. :D
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Everyday Dragons
Short Story"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." - Neil Gaiman (paraphrasing G.K. Chesterton) A series of short stories and poems spanning the spectrum of h...
