Dragon Lake

Bao Peng sat back and lit his pipe,

The hob was cold, the ash quite dead,

He drew a tiny firelight

That lit the scar high on his head.

While Zhang was hushed, he gathered round

Each brother, cousin; neighbours too,

‘Bao Peng will not begin his tale

Until your silence begs him to!’

 

‘In years gone by,’ Bao Peng began,

‘When revolution ruled this land,

Our village lived at peace back then,

We helped each other, as we can!

We grew rice in the paddy fields

Kept pigs and horses, sheep and game,

And lived, though poor, contentedly

Until the Helmsman’s Red Guards came.’

 

‘We drew our water from the lake

And shared in everything we grew,

The Buddhists had a temple there

A thousand years, for all we knew.

They held our manuscripts and deeds,

Cared for our souls, and history,

These holy men did no-one harm

But lived an ageless mystery!

 

The Red Guards came, in gangs and droves,

Just schoolkids really, like some mob,

With filthy mouths they screamed at us,

Then beat our women, killed our dogs.

They made us swear to love their Mao,

To hate the ‘Olds’ - old buildings, books,

We didn’t stand a chance -’ Peng stopped…

And felt the scar from Red Guard hooks!

 

‘They killed my wife, Mei Fang,’ he said,

‘They stoned her up on Bullock Hill,’

The tears streamed freely down his cheeks

And we could see, he loved her still!

‘And then they went down to the lake

To burn the temple, burn the books,

The monks were slaughtered, beaten down

With clubs and knives, with swords and hooks!’

 

‘The flames came through the Temple roof,

The pages of the books were charred,

We stood well back, as well we knew

What they’d not know - the Beijing Guard!

A form stirred deep within the lake,

The waters moved, and out there slid

The monstrous shape of fang and claw,

The greatest ‘Old’ that ever lived!’

 

‘The screams were heard for hours that night,

The ghastly shrieks of those devoured,

The ones who raised their clubs to me,

Dragged in the water, overpowered!

The Red Guards never came our way

Again, we held a village wake…

They should have asked, before they burned

Just why we called it - Dragon Lake!

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Mark]

You know me, Dave: always have to find the poetic devices, the undergirding. Seems as though the root message is to beware of the cold slithery thing that lays temporarily placated beneath our placid surfaces. For our natures may, unbeknownst to ourselves, be just as malevolent and destructive as were the soldiers of the Red Guard. The seeking of a new present may well result in the irretrievable loss of much of value, which we had consigned to others for safekeeping.

[Amila Jay]

Awesome poem:-)

[Raven Starhawk]

Incredible skills you have tied up in here.

[Rene Velez]

A brilliant write, a wondrous tale of fantasy and might. Well enjoyed

[Kenneth The Poet]

Heavy write. What totalitarianism does to the human race, that is what I see here. An excellent write for sure.

[joshua deathdealer]

I was enjoyed this immensely. I agree with others in saying instead of reading I listened. I look forward to reading more. Thanks for sharing.

[SR Urie]

Dave,

This a great epic poem of few lines yet such imagery that results in the conquest of the invading troops without hardly a word or two to describe the unseen danger beneath the waves. I salute you sir! BZ

[EMF]

Somewhere I forgot I was reading and found myself 'listening'. a superb write with depth and feeling. Wonderful

[Dayran]

The loss of an opportunity to learn or to cultivate faith, brings out the worst in people. None of us is too far away from an anima ancestry. In such a situation, who's there to say who was right?

It's obvious however, that the villagers couldn't hold it in. Had they channeled their rage with inquiry, it may have suggested that they are not ready for institutionalized faith. That it is a joint exercise in tolerance and faith, between the individual and the world. Nice write!

[Manpreet]

Yet again another exotic write up. A story told in its greatest version!! Great work!