In celebration of National Poetry Month, we are pleased to present “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Dragon” by Mari Ness.
Tor.com is celebrating National Poetry Month by featuring science fiction and fantasy poetry from a variety of SFF authors. You’ll find classic works, hidden gems, and new commissions over at the Poetry Month index.
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Dragon
I
Among twenty knight-blasted mountains
The only moving thing
Was the eye of the dragon.
II
I was of three minds
Like a tale
In which there are three dragons.
III
The dragon whirled in the autumn winds.
It was a small part of the calamity.
IV
A knight and a lady
Are one.
A knight and a lady and a dragon
Are one.
V
I do not know which to prefer
The beauty of clashing troubadours
Or the beauty of weeping minstrels
The dragon singing
Or just after.
VI
Icicles filled the long window
With sorcerous glass.
The shadow of the dragon
Crossed it, to and fro.
The mood
Fetched by the shadow
A much decipherable cause.
VII
O thin knights of wastelands,
Why do you imagine icy drakes?
Do you not see how the dragon
Walks around the feet,
Of the jesters about you?
VIII
I know noble ascents,
And obscure, inescapable conquests;
But I know, too,
That the dragon is involved
In what I know.
IX
When the dragon flew out of sight
It burned the edge
Of one of many circles.
X
At the sight of dragons
Flying in a red light,
Even the dolls of puppets
Would cry out sharply.
XI
He rode over the wastelands
In a crystal coach.
Once, a fear pierced him
In that he mistook
The shadow of his swords
For dragons.
XII
The city is moving.
The dragon must be flying.
XIII
It was evening all afternoon.
It was ashing,
and it was going to ash.
The dragon sat
On the quiet mountain.
Mari Ness is an author and poet who lives in Central Florida.
Thanks, Mari… a wonderful poem.
OT, but I gotta ask – what happened to your OUaT posts? Did it all finally get too ridiculous for you? I enjoyed them very much, and I mess them.
I’m glad you liked it, Drunes!
Dianthus – Tor.com is shifting back to a focus on books, and pulling back from most of the TV rewatch posts. So you’ll see me more or less following that lead. More or less, because OUAT certainly hasn’t dialed down the ridiculous factor at all. I laughed my way through the entire hospital scene last episode – so I’m still on board, and I will probably have some sort of round-up post in May discussing the second half of the season. And also more or less since I’m going to be looking at Disney films and the books based on them for what looks like a pretty long project. Most of those works aren’t quite as ridiculous, though, so my posts about them will be a lot more serious.
This is wonderful!
A knight and a lady
Are one.
A knight and a lady and a dragon
Are one.
… has our author been reading too much Anne McCaffrey?
But it’s still wonderful.
Mari – thanks for the clarification. I’ll keep looking for future posts with your byline. Here’s hoping, that whatever sort of nonsense the OUaT writers get up to, Emma and Hook eventually get their Happy Ending(s).
I am a long time lover of dragons and this poem is multi-facated, diamond lined, flash movie. The images and stories were completed beautifully in the fewest words needed. Loved it!
What a great poem, Mari!
Mari,
Love your posts! Fantastic poem!
I was SO happy to read your response to Dianthus about the OUAT! I’ll be honest, I’ve been checking back almost daily to see if you had written another one. Also, I’ve come to the realization that I actually developed an addiction to your OUAT posts… yes. In other words, you created word-crack for me. And then took it away. lol! Please post again soon! I need my fix! Especially after that season finale! Thanks for being awesome!
By part four, I decided that you had included all of the most interesting words to create as large a scene as succinctly as possible. By part thirteen, I was deliriously happy and as the last word fell, I paused, and then began again, feverishly looking for the word regent, which was absent. I can’t fathom what you did with it, but it’s fallen by the wayside, and the wailing began.
for other readers: have a look at 13 ways to look at a blackbird by Wallace Stevens.