Here Were Dragons

Ladies and gentlemen, moving along.

Now here is an interesting site.
An area where the dragons would throng
to ululate throughout the night.

As you will see from our careful recreation
these creatures will often astound
but they never deserved their dire reputation
as the most fearsome creatures around

With a forty foot wingspan or more
the dragons were kings of the skies.
A thunderclap flap that helped them to soar
(and distribute pollen nearby).

Yes they were strong and they could easily bear
a tree trunk around like a twig.
And they had fiery breath of which to beware
which could easily barbecue a pig.

And with all of this how do we portray them now?
Do we focus upon their great splendour?
No. We demonise or trivialise and I wonder how
can we do this on evidence so slender.

If you find pixies a pest, and they often infest
your workplace, your garden or home,
then you'd like me to suggest or even attest
to a solution for wherever they roam

In times gone by, as our researchers have found
the dragons would keep them under control.
You would have been glad to have dragons around.
Now 'all too common' is the pixies new role.

Now look to your left and what you will see
is a representative sample of tools.
And it might surprise you, as it surprised me
that the dragons never were fools.

They were massive and weighty, though streamlined.
but as we examine and research remains
the solitary fact that most surprises we find
was the incredible size of their brains.

It was known to be a sociable beastie
with remarkably strong family ties.
They long held a grudge against an enemy
and they never forgot their allies

Then human beings arrived. Only briefly at first.
The presence of dragons frightened people away
The general consensus was that if worst came to worst
you would rapidly become a flambé.

But the dragons displayed no worse than an interest
and when word of this got around
the previously cowardly now returned in earnest
and when dragons approached stood their ground.

The sailors considered them a great source of food.
and turned their lands into a staging post.
The choicest discovery was a mewling newborn brood.
The young meat favoured by sailors the most.

The freelance knights were the next to arrive
looking for quests to increase their fame
"The dragons were too dangerous for us to leave them alive"
they claimed, "They kill. They mutilate and maim."

They whipped up a storm with their self serving lies
without showing a hint of a conscience.
The resulting outrage was what would finally catalyse
the mob wanting to sail to vengeance.

And then the dragons were no more.
The reason, no great mystery -
It is down to the humans of yore
that the dragons are unnaturally history.

©Adam Gibbs
Art Steve Hutton