If we look back,
Can we do better?
THE DRAGONS OF BABYLON
When I was small
The wilderness hollow-dragons would speak to me
Welcomes and affirmations
I would tiptoe around their stray hairs
Left on walkways crafted of glass panes
Cemented with iron dust
I'd place my ear on their chests
Learning to tell them apart
By the sighing of their scales
I cherished the sea-dragons
Who greeted and embraced me
Coiled in laughter at the hurricanes
Now that I am grown
I do not lean in so close
Seeking out the secrets of the dragons of Babylon
I don't do the old quiet practice
Enchanting their shed skins
With the spells of a wish-eyed child
But I still hear their voices beneath the wind
As I train myself to recognize their habits
So that we may meet one another
And exchange gifts