The Night Dragon.

A poem about children's night fears. How Mummy and Daddy drive all fears away..

Here comes your Daddy to say goodnight.
Here comes your Mummy to kiss you
And the Night dragon flees with an angry snort
Slips through the window and into the dark
flicking his tail in anger
The fairy on the window sill giggles with glee
And hides in the curtain so no one can see
Such a pretty little thing with hair of gold
And rainbows colour her wings

Listen! The Night dragon snorts in the cherry tree
The little Green Gnome slaps his thigh
And rolls on the ground near the goldfish pond
And laughs with the stars in the sky
The night dragon flicks out his yellowy tongue
And raises his leathery wings
And glares at the Gnome through deep ruby eyes
As the clock in the church tower sings

"Dong! Dong! The moon is hid
Dong! Dong! The Night is deep
Night dragon, night dragon why do you keep
A young boy from going to sleep?"

Out in the night from behind a dark cloud
The moon's head begins to appear
He whispers a warning in silvery tones
"Beware! The black witch is near"
Then the black witch laughs with a cackle and a scream
Saying "let the boy sleep for in sleep he will dream
And in dreams I will have my way
I will weave a spell that will curdle his mind
And dreams he will have of the terrible kind
That make a boy squirm and strive to awake
As he flees to escape from the fiery lake
Or the jaws of a leopard or the fangs of a snake"
And the Night dragon chuckles in his hollowy throat
And his ruby eyes gleam as he starts to gloat
As he pictures the little boy caught in the throat
Of a big angry ravenous lion

Dong! Dong! The clock insists
Dong! dong! The Night is deep
"Night dragon? Night dragon why do you keep
A young boy from going to sleep?"

Oh the bed trembles. Oh the bed shakes
As two big wide eyes look around
And ears that catch on to every noise
(Where really there isn't a sound)
Then the night dragon flies and the black witch flees
And the little Green Gnome slips away
And the moon he laughs at their hasty retreat
As the fairy on the window sill says
"All danger is past. The spells no more
Now I must go, God bless you
For here comes your Daddy to say goodnight
And here comes your Mummy to kiss you"