The Sad Dragon and the Boy Who Cared

Upon a time,

Once long ago,

Lived a dragon,

Who’s name was unknown.

Not just to friend,

Family or foe,

He himself,

His name he did not know.

High on a hill,

In a far-off land,

He lived all alone,

Far from beast and from man.

No family at all,

Alone in a cave,

The dragon was sad,

And slept through his days.

One day a boy,

Lost from his way,

Walked right in,

To that sad dragon’s cave.

The sun it was setting,

So the boy looked around,

And heard in that cave,

The most sad sound.

"I think I hear crying,

But from something tall,"

And there was the dragon,

Curled up in a ball.

“Mr. Dragon,

I’m sorry to pry,

What could possibly make,

A big dragon cry?”

“It’s happening again,

And I just don’t know why,

But sometimes at night,

Rain falls from my eye.”

“Oh, Mr. Dragon,

What’s falling isn’t rain,

It’s love and happiness,

Held captive by pain.”

“I’m not held captive,

I can fly, I’m free,

I can circle the stars,

No one’s holding me.”

“Oh, Mr. Dragon,

Your wings might be free,

But your heart is not well,

And the chains, you can’t see.”

The dragon was worried,

His eyes opened wide,

For how can you fix,

What’s broken inside?

“A dragon doctor,

That’s what I need,

He can bring me medicine,

And set my heart free.”

“You need not a doctor,

The boy said with a grin,

You need a shoulder,

You need a friend.”

“Here, use mine,

It’s dirty and small,

But I promise it’ll catch,

Every tear that will fall.”

The dragon, he talked,

And started to cry,

The boy held him tight,

As rain fell from their eyes.

What happened next?

Well, it’s hard to explain,

But the sad in his heart,

It faded away.

“How did you do that?”

The dragon inquired,

“You took all my sad,

And gave me a smile.”

“I took some of the pain,

We shared it indeed,

That’s what you do,

For a friend that’s in need.”