The Dragon

By Wesley Lambert

In Normandy, a mountain--
Sentinel of Time--
built a stage on its side,
with wind and rain and oceans past for tools.
A play ran its course,
narrated by the unique voices of paleontologists.
                                        
A figure in denim and wide-brimmed hat (to thwart the sun)
performs dental work
on a creature incapable of eating.
Calipers ponder their measurements.
Forceps aid the rebirth of one extinct.
Chisels bite, and
brushes sweep away the accumulated dust of years.
The climax unfolds in a picture that
steals breath and shatters tradition.
The man hears the dull thud of a million textbooks
jumping from school window-ledges in suicidal plunges.
He thinks of what to tell his children, and himself.

He sees the man-shaped suit of armor
nestled in the ribs of the carnivore
like a rabbit in its burrow.
He examines the flaked metal, the dents, the scratches,
the laughing, crumbling skull within.
His eyes rove to the sea--where, not so long ago--
ships emptied their cargoes of men
to fight the dragons of hate, oppression, and extermination.
He glances back down and witnesses the knight's story as it unfolds.
Then--as now--men had to slay their dragons.
But this man fought a dragon of a different sort--
with indigestion his weapon.

About the Author
Wesley Lambert's poetry and/or prose has appeared in many print and online publications, such as: Paradox, Neverary, Hadrosaur Tales, Naked Snake Online, Flashshot, Dragons, Knights, and Angels, Anotherealm.com, Between Kisses, Scifaikuest, Astropoetica, Amazing Journeys, AlienSkin, Flash Fantastic, From the Asylum, and others. He welcomes feedback at: Socialcons1@aol.com.

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