First Flight

It’s bony maw,
Muzzled,
Leathery skin
Stretched taught
Across the creature’s skull.
It’s wary eyes
Yellow, surrounded by pearl
Watched my every move.
I caressed the creature’s brow,
Hoping to win its trust.
It’s breath hissed,
As it’s great bulk
Shifted at my touch.
Natural armor, the scales
To one another scraped,
As it lowered it’s bulk
For me to access.
I mount,
Behind the neck I sit
On a tiny saddle,
Between it’s great leathery wings.
As in my hands I take the reins.
The beast stretches out,
Those mighty wings.
Powerful, strong,
Their leathery canopy
Kris-crossed with purple veins.
The rush felt,
Is like nothing that can be explained.
It’s mighty wings,
Beating the air with ease,
As we lift into the sky.
Fluttering, our hearts
Beat for escape.
A rhythmic pulse
The beast’s heart
Rhymes in time with mine.
The crowd below cheers,
Acknowledging that I,
Have tamed the beast,
And witness to them all
As I take the first flight
The rider and the dragon…

The End

Copyright February 2001 by Christopher J. Thomasson