The Ballad of the Dragon Slayer

narrative poem

Once upon a time,

That is how it starts,

Always that sweet rhyme,

Stealing and breaking hearts.

 

A story from a forgotten age,

A tale of danger and daring,

Of heroes on a history book page,

Of a ballad they used to sing.

 

Over the shadows of forests bleak,

There lies a kingdom of old.

Beneath the mountain’s tallest peak,

Where the sun shimmers like gold.

 

In peace they lived and in prosperity,

For the land provided many treasures:

Diamonds waiting to be freed,

Silver and gold beyond measure.

 

Yet peace did not last in the world of men,

And out of the south an evil came,

A darkness plaguing the meadows and glen,

A dragon, a creature of shadow and flame.

 

With yellow teeth and golden eyes,

And scales glittering like precious gems,

Killing with a heart of ice,

Those that he condemns.

 

And the people fled,

They had no other choice.

For their homes they wept,

Calling out with broken voice.

 

“We will overcome evil,” they vowed,

“And when sun shines once more, we will return.”

And they stood still and tall and proud,

Unshed tears shining as the city burned

 

Yet from these threads of tears and pain,

Was woven a great hero.

A character emerging again and again,

Sculpted by times of sorrow

 

It was surprising to say the least

For the hero was but a man

Who volunteered to face the monstrous beast

And vowed to fight as best he can

 

From out of the fire, cloaked in black

Came a stranger without a name

Sturdy bow slung across his back

And arrows fletched with flame

 

“I am a man like no other, you see,”

He announced to the street,

“I know that you all want to be free

Of your fire-breathing beast.”

 

He kept his word, and went to the creature’s lair

To the top of the ivory citadel

Up many flights of winding stair

Where the dragon had chosen to dwell

 

And fitting an arrow to his string

He uttered a prayer to the sky

He raised his voice and began to sing

And let the arrow fly

 

Golden eyes opened too late

To war already waged

The silent fury of a dragon’s rage

Upon the arrow’s fate

 

There was a great shrill cry

That shook the earth’s crust

And rolling gray clouds gathered in the sky

Leaving behind the dust

 

When the villagers came to thank the stranger

It was as if no one came

There was no familiar face or danger

Only an arrow fletched with flame

 

And thundered volleyed overhead

Rain fell from the skies above

Toward the earth the droplets sped

Telling that ancient story of

 

Once upon a time,

That is how it starts,

Always that sweet rhyme,

Stealing and breaking hearts.

Author's Note

Wrote this for language arts...blehhh the rhyming was REALLY annoying...

XD I think you can tell I"ve been obsessed with dragons...

Reviews

[Professor Xeronian]

Yesssss. Not to sound too creepy there. But that was much better, nearly all of them rhymed.

[Rose of Gondor]

lol I wrote this for the narrative poem assignment in language arts back in the day. one of the requirements was that it had to rhyme. But yeah, I see your point. It's kinda nice this way.

[Katie]

I'm always very impressed by narrative poetry, and this is no exception. It is very well written. The imagery is wonderful, and the story is well told.

[Rose of Gondor]

thank you! I spent a long time on this, so it's nice to know someone likes it. :D

[The Rock And Roll Cowbo..]

Fairy Tales are great for the innocent but they are a big let down after welcome of age... that is when Happily ever after becomes a Unicorn.

[Rose of Gondor]

yeah, once you get into society that pretty fairytale ending just goes "poof"!

Thanks for the lovely review!