The Snow Dragon - Kathy Figueroa

Part I

The days grew short
The cold grew nigh
And the air was
Rife with chill
The Earth's retort
Was to longingly sigh
And the wind swept
Down from the hill
Colder, yet
And colder, still
Grew the clasp
Of the Season's embrace
And the great, grinding
Wheel Of Time
Turned to show
A sombre face
Gone were the greens
Of summer and spring
Gone, the merry flowers
Tame and wild
Quiet lay gardens
Where no creature stirred
Forsaken.. by cold, defiled
The Sun, source of light
And creator of days
That were luxuriantly
Long, warm and clear
Along with the blue skies
Almost seemed
To have fled
Which caused dread
Comprised of
A particular fear:
"If there's not enough sun
To keep this area
Warm and bright
..Then the Snow Dragon
Will soon appear"


Part II

Legends say
That, long ago
The last dragon
Had been slain
But now it's whispered
In the Canadian North
"A dragon roams
...Again"
When the sky
Is a dark void
Vast and deep
And all wild creatures
Are asleep
Then, from the Arctic
Bursts a raging gale
That rises with
An unearthly wail
And moves across
The frozen land
Like the sweep of
A Titan's hand
But the turbulence
Is really the lashing
Of a mighty tail
And the sound
Is the howl
..Of the Snow Dragon
As it starts to prowl...

Sceptics exist, everywhere
And some have been known
To openly declare:
"Though supposed evidence
That the Snow Dragon
Traversed this area
Has abounded
We can neither prove
Nor disprove
That reports
Of its existence
Are either founded
Or unfounded
If we venture to surmise
That this creature's
Existence is real
Based upon
Empirical observation
We, presently, feel
That, to date, perhaps
This Snow Dragon's
Most notable feature
Is that it's a most shy
Retiring and
..Elusive creature"


Part III

"By Grace"
It's said that
People are saved
But this also lets
Some people see
It's Grace that lets folks
Have visions of realms
Of magic and mystery
Thus, artists, writers
And poets exist
As architects of dreams
They know that
The everyday world
Isn't always as it seems
Hence, those who
Only accept truth
From a scientist's lips
Believe the following
About a lunar eclipse:
That the Earth
Casts a shadow
On the smaller
Circling sphere
And, at other notions
They'll likely scoff or jeer
But weary disbelievers
Might one day 'whistle
A different tune'
(If, by tedious banality
They're not driven
To complete ruin)
When they discover that
A lunar eclipse is really
The Snow Dragon's shadow
Cast on the moon
And the showers
Of shooting stars
That pierce the
Winter night skies
Are really sparkles falling
From the Snow Dragon's eyes
When it turns its gaze
To the mortals, below
And the land it has covered
With crystals of snow.

Kathy Figueroa