dragon awoke to see soon
would be time for his parting
ways

as legends foretold, at first so
the dragon thought,

then realizing he was in fact
a young boy waiting for
his mother

to return from market, then
thought, no, he was seeing

from inside her shoes
as she wondered about
carrots and rice

and what her son was
dreaming now, more

than only her, but then
suddenly she

saw her son awaken,
becoming a white butterfly

afloat
in the Autumn garden.
 
 
she watched him move
far out of sight.
 
 

Chō monogatari    蝶物語

butterfly story, she smiles.   not a mask.

when does it end?   she doesn’t say.

who calls themselves, audience?

 
 
 
image:    The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun,
                 William Blake, National Gallery of Art