Dragons in Our Midst

There are dragons in our midst.

Not the kind confined to legends, safely restrained in the oral traditions.

There are dragons in our midst,

But not the kind with crimson scales and boiling breath.

There are dragons in our midst,

And they are deadly. 

The sharpest swords of legend could not scathe their flanks. 

The most powerful enchanter could not exact any sway. 

These demons' bulging muscles are unmatched; their hatred unfathomable. 

These dragons are within us.

They hatch within the fiery places of our hearts,

Incubated by the the innate seed of our dark sin, red loathing, and purple pride. 

In our core, they build their cave, hoarding glittering treasures of malice, spite, and self-love. 

They feed on these treasures, and as they feed, they grow. 

And we nurture them.

Like sneaking scraps under the dinner table to a dog

We sneakily encourage them to remain; 

To strengthen. 

But we hide them from the prying eyes of our neighbors, 

Determined to wear a veil of purity and innocence. 

But this Bride is stained crimson.

Her dragon grows unchallenged within her chest. 

How can we fight these demons of darkness? These slippery shadows of lust, pride, sloth, gluttony, avarice, and wrath? 

How can we purge our hearts, their hosts, of these harbored criminals?

How can it be that the one they hurt most is their impassioned protector?

How can I wage a war against a foe that I cling to? 

I cannot. 

Lord, help me to love what You love and to hate what you hate. 

Give me the strength to rip out my innermost parts and expose them to Your redeeming light. 

Free Your maiden from her tower of sin.

Brandish your Divine weapon and 

Slay my dragon. 

Reviews

[Ray]

Breath-taking! Brilliant! Brilliant! Only thing is "strengthen" doesn't seem to be the correct word. I do see what you're trying to get at but check out definitions and try to find a word that corresponds a little better - it just sounds like there's something missing right after it and that the sentence structure is wrong. Other than that - excellent!

[CreativeStroke]

We all have that evil beast inside of us, longing to come out and wreak havoc. You described that very nature so well within this piece and I loved the analogies you choose, such as 'feeding the dog scraps under the table'. The whole piece, overall, was very creative and well thought out. As always, well done Emily!

[~*~Peace Keeper~*~]

I like how you described human nature, we all have darkness within that needs to be overcomed, we can not do it on our own, only God can "slay the dragon" within us that holds us bound.

Good Job

[jacob erin-cilberto]

really good piece...i like the analogy of feeding the dog under the table.

we have to love more, and spread more peace...we are such a selfish society in general...

to hell with our fellow man...but with that attitude, that may be our last stop.