Dragonfly

by Nick Anthony

The rotting corpse of a dragonfly
Hangs over hung-headed commuters
Like a pterodactyl fossil in Fukui,
Forever aloft on calcified wings
For children to look up and wonder:
From what mysterious realm did you come?

But beneath the fossilized dragonfly,
No such wide-eyed adolescents pass by.
This Train Station of Natural History’s only patrons
Are closed-eyed, downtrodden business men:
Too busy catching up on sleep walking
To raise their gaze above the floor.

Slowly, the dragon hypnotically spins
Purveying the oppressed masses
Who solemnly shuffle through Samsara
To sell their lives by the hour
For the monetary illusion of profit.
It looks down from the spider’s noose that killed it
And laughs at those poor fools
Still running the race it already ran.

But beneath the devilish, spinning fly
The river of lost bodies abruptly parts
Where a mother vainly tugs a boy’s arm,
He raises his free hand in protest,
Points to the lace winged dragon,
And defiantly shouts, “Just Look,”
Desperately imploring those around him
To escape the hypnosis of Mara.

This little Buddha is almost in tears
At the extent of the older mortals’ folly.
For them it is nearly too late
To see the Wheel leading the Way
While the dragonfly continues to spin.


Thanks for reading! You can read more by Nick at Rafiki’s Nikki.
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6 Comments to “Dragonfly”

  1. Reblogged this on The Militant Negro™.

  2. This entire piece was brilliantly executed, but the first part is my personal favorite:

    “The rotting corpse of a dragonfly
Hangs over hung-headed commuters
Like a pterodactyl fossil in Fukui,
Forever aloft on calcified wings
For children to look up and wonder:
From what mysterious realm did you come?”

    “From what mysterious realm did you come” is the line that really reeled me in here. You write beautifully!

    • Thank you very much, Angie! I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. Is there anything in particular you would change in the later stanzas?

      • Not at all- that could just be me. But I almost feel bad for not being able to offer any criticism- since I really liked this piece and the imagery it offered (your writing is quite detailed in setting.) Keep it up!

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