Dragon Poem

Mother always did tell me
to mind my own business.

Children are to be seen and not heard.

Parents are so big when they tower over you,
and you are so small--
they are all, all  that you know.

The bickering and crying and screaming begin:
My Father demands,

"Where the hell is that remote?"

And, why is the roast burned?
I've been W-O_R-K-I-N-G--
"you've had nothing to do all day,
but look at TV__

"I've been working all day too
and I'm starved!

Well, If I'd have know this,
I would have stayed at the bar."

I hid on the stairs,
rocking back and forth
and covering my ears.

"I just don't know what to do anymore,"
Mother sobs into the dishtowel
in a quiet corner of the kitchen,
covering the tears streaming down her face.

'If it didn't make me sound like such a cliche,
I'd say I was at the end of my rope.
I'd run away,
but there's nowhere to go,
and everyone knows you can't run from yourself."

"Oh honey, don't cry, I'm sorry,
I'ts not that bad, really," he said
repentant at the sight of tears.

Holding up a thin slice of beef to the light
turning and inspecting as it remained comically suspended on his fork--
he proclaimed,
"it's only charred on the outside."

She erupted into an explosive giggle,
and with relief a smile spread across her face
making her pretty again

"Forget it---
let's go out,
put on that new dress.
I put in some extra hours this week."

And suddenly all was forgiven,
and everyone was happy again,
only I remained terribly confused.

I watched the fights
and I watched the making up,
I cried the tears and I laughed the joy,

I stayed out of the way
because my Mother said:
"Stay out of the way because it's none of your business,
-- you could get hurt."

To this day I don't know which was stronger--
the anger or the love,
i saw the whole spectrum,
repeated over and over again.

I still try to stay out of the Dragon's way
but somehow I never seem to be able to,
and now when I pass a mirror, I notice
I've become a Dragon myself.
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