Poems by
Jake Joss

The Dragonfly

a poem by Jake Joss

Evening had cast it’s spell, the sun leaving it’s last rays towards the earth.
The rush hour had begun with all the creatures fleeing for shelter.
The distant clap of thunder, the rustling of leaves, the swaying of trees;
all marked the onset of another monsoon.
The heavens unsealed it’s flood gates, sprinkling everything with it’s cleansing splendour.
The showers showed it’s mystic charm, replenishing the parched soil with it’s long lost vigour.
Out of the thin air came the red-eyed monster,
fluttering it’s drenched wings and battling the frenzy breeze.
The only relief nearby was a dilapidated wall, offering some resistance to the soaking gale.
The dragon planted it’s sticky legs into the moss-laden structure of stones.
A sharp pain in the leg found the fly launching itself into the wet air.
The wall was a second hell, with tiny bloody beasts
waiting to dig their shrill claws into the unsuspecting victim.
The challenge was set-up for the dragonfly,
the other contestants being the downpour and the swarming ants.
It was a combat of tolerance, blended with patience and vigilance, a war with no life-lines.
The darning needle knew it had to hold on, until the deluge ceased to exist,
till the trauma would become a long forgotten nightmare.
The legs came down in a flash, the next second it went up again,
evading any chances of the fiery vampires
converting it’s torso into crumbling bits of lifeless waste.
The drama went on and on, till it’s wings became all jaded,
till every cell of it’s body began to scream for rest.
The dragon knew it was all over,
it soon had to submit itself to the ‘unwinged predators’,
or go crashing down to the ground, which had now become a thirsty ocean.
A glimmer of hope shone upon the dragon’s temple,
the clouds gave way to expose the majestic charm of the moon.
The ants went berserk, almost jumping up and down,
eager to have a chunk of the prisoner’s flesh, knowing that it would fly away soon.
The rains receded; the escapist went jubilant and gay.
The agony was all over, it could now see a bright new day.