A Dragon Lives Forever
by Thad Coons
O Magic Dragon, where have you gone?
The rain of green scales told of your woe, though they are gone now from Cherry Lane. The autumn mists of Honna-Lee are empty. Pirates, grown bold and fearless, infest the waters, and laugh and mock when they hear of you. “He was never real”, they say.
Do you still mourn? Did you not know that mortal lives are renewed, generation after generation? Jackie Paper’s sons and grandsons are grown to manhood, by now, but still and forever, their children have need of wonder.
You were never forgotten. Do you know that a great song was made for you? Your fame has spread abroad, but only as a tale of pity, and loss. Let it not remain so.
Come back to us. Awake from your slumber, cast off your grief, and come forth from your cave. Renew your self in the autumn mists. Ride the boat with billowed sails. Strike terror into the hearts of your foes. Noble kings and princes yet search the horizon waiting to greet you. Let your fearless roar be heard once again, in triumph, O Mighty Puff!