Whether in dreams or waking, if you have an aversion to reptiles, especially snakes, you may want to skip this segment. If not, you will meet another Dragon – this time who can communicate with the main character. Argose continues as the faithful canine companion, participating every step of the way. Our travelers have reached a place on the river that has sandy shores and a surprise. At this point, the river is wide and deep enough to float large ships, and the explorers encounter one along their way.
The segment begins with a dream full of metaphors and symbolism. Perhaps, this dream is one of the most gripping so far. You be the judge if you have read the other dreams.
a long, hollow shaft of stone dripping cold
with stained rivulets trickling down damp sides
a nearly round well echoing profound
every drop plopping onto the floor’s circle
Faintest light filters down the maw above
I hear something alive slide along rock
occasional ‘hsssh’ exhaled in the gloom
I run my hands across the sides and floor
touching cold skin around a long creature
undulating from my fingers
leaving trails of slime like a large worm passed
Shocked, I realize I am in a pit
with hissing, slithering snakes close to me
I squat, running my hands on the bottom
What feels like tiny bones and scraps of fur
litter the ground beneath me – from rodents?
Whatever they are, they snap easily
under my feet – a sharp, sickening crunch
I pace around the hole passing my palms
over the stone, touching snakes everywhere
They seem to cling to the sides of the pit
Brief glitters of light reveal pale bodies
writhing over one another like threads
tangled with no direction, yet instinct . . .
. . . I wake lying in the bottom of Hart
Argose scrambles to a sit beside me
The red boat rocks port to starboard gently
The sun sears my eyes after the darkness
I come to crouching, head on folded arms
Hearing waves, I lift my head up squinting
farther out, white-capped waves break against
a rocky outcrop that stops the waves’ speed
I stand looking. Can it be? I didn’t see
it the night before when we pulled up to shore
a ship tipped almost on its starboard side
rotting timbers line the perimeter
broken masts fore and aft – tattered canvas
like torn linen dresses flapping from lines
gaping holes breach the ship’s sides everywhere
dimmest light leaches into weathered hull
anchor lies flat on the beach, rode buried
Argose stands next to me nosing the wind
Sand swirls, stinging the water from our eyes
We trudge toward the ship through the muddy sand
As we draw near, the wooden wheel at stern
appears lodged firm against a fallen boom
closer still, the cabin’s structure is crushed
the cracked and crumbling rudder slants steeply
Why this wreck draws me to her, I can’t say
Suddenly, Argose barks alarm and fear
and races toward the ship, his tail streaming
I run behind to see what’s the matter
Now I see it! Stretched along the bowsprit
an impossible creature balancing
Its weight should have broken the front timber
Heavy breath pumps out its gray-skinned sides
gaping nostrils gulp air like an engine
Four clawed feet wrap around the wooden sprit
its nails longer, thicker than three fingers
Along its back, tall, gray spikes tremble
rising like a half-moon sail
that looks like an enormous shield bearer
We are downwind, so the beast can’t smell us
It is alert, already battle scarred
The great, fleshy sail crowning its long spine
armed with tall curving rib extensions
thick as sharply pointed, combat long swords
slanted needle topping each skyward spire
Its heavy hide armored with scales on scales
Tracks in the sand from shore to ship show that
the lizard has crawled from sea to bowsprit
Background
There be Dragons! They are famous for fighting princely fellows, and for flying across Asian skies. Dragons have figured widely in myth and alleged history for most the homo sapiens’ tenure on the planet. But real Dragons still exist today. All of them are rare.
The Komodo Dragon is the one of half a dozen creatures that bear the name, Dragon. One of the upcoming Dragons featured after Shield Bearer in this Song is fashioned after the Komodo. Other representatives include the Red Sea Dragon that is a fish, not a reptile. At an average of 2.3 inches long, the Blue Dragon Sea Slug makes up in stinging what it lacks in size. The shocking Pink Dragon Millipede from Thailand doesn’t breathe fire but does release cyanide when it is threatened. Of all these Dragons, the Komodo is the one that can actually eat you and has been known to do so.
Stand by. More Dragons to come.
Exploration 1: What is different about Shield Bearer in contrast to previous Dragons?
Exploration 2: What is the significance of the trio being able to communicate?
Exploration 3: Are Dragons somehow identified with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, in that they are seen as evil and dangerous?
This the first dragon I can picture. The previous ones were disguised. Or maybe I missed something.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t catch that there was any communication between the three in this segment.
I don’t associate dragons with the serpent in the Garden of Eden. I always picture him as a snake.
In the West dragons are evil. In the East they’re often symbols of good luck.