Dawn Arrives by Joey Ng

Dawn Arrives by Joey Ng

There was no warning when the flares had hit,

Streaming down like hellfire upon the hills,

Splitting earth apart with its deafening

Impact and molten indiscrimination.

Those who could, fled, seeking refuge from this

Exaltation of a wrathful god’s will,

The fervid breath of the dragons of old,

For no men could claim this monstrosity.

Waves lap about its old gnarled tusks as

The creature is awakened by the dawn.

With a creak its massive white wings unfold

And its body scurries back into life.

Its eyes are tired after a sleepless

Night recounting the horrors that befell;

Its hull shows signs of damage, the starboard

Side charred and splintering from the debris.

In the distant horizon the fires

Blazed on in the coast that it claimed as home,

Leaving nothing unmarred by its presence.

The sky was filled with thick plumes of grey smoke,

Rising like incense into the cool air,

Dancing into the sky as if absolved

Of responsibility for its crimes.

With a sigh the captain turns the ship aft,

Drifting away from the smoldering ash

And the lost allure of the rising sun.

With distance the clamor becomes serene,

Smoke settling into the bright light as

Dawn arrives and the waters lay gentle,

Oblivious to its daughters and sons.