Lorica

[tangerinepie]

Lorica


SHE..the *Drakon they called "spewer of flames"
viewed the lay of the land in high flight,
Torra Rida in late afternoon,a beguiling sight.
The weather worn castle, stoic.. an austere target,
as warmongers of every ilk pillaged for kingdoms.

The she dragon viewed the court yard of King Alfredo,
elite soldiers jousting, drew her to swoop low, releasing
torrents of orange fiery spires to announce her arrival.
The startled friesien horses pitched riders to hard ground.
The King hiding nearby chortled delight at cursing knights

The clan of Drakons were The King's personal warriors,
He had nurtured them, in consideration of their loyalty
Their gargantuan size and carnelian *lorica outstanding while
exhaling invective infernos on legions of invidious invaders.
Now Vikings were on the march..inching closer to the palace.

The Viking marauders ten miles away now, stopped for worship.
Odin must be appeased before warcraft to ensure victory.
The *Dracos were summoned from their mountain caverns,
as villagers dimmed lanterns from behind tall stone barricades.
Squads of archers perched from bastions of the castle.

Alfredo spent precious moments with his Queen,
the three young children shyly hugged their beloved father.
Donning Chain Maille, he departed to the rumbling stables.
Here his intimidating stallion *Arion reared for action.
The king emerged to lead the cavalry...he would persevere.

*Drakon..dragon from the Greek
*Draco.. dragon from the Latin
*Arion...war horse
*Lorica..the leathery exterior of dragons

[dwells]

I couldn't help but think about "Lorca" (instead of lorica) as I read along Tangie. A Spanish medieval writer (Alfredo Garces, or Alberto Garcia Lorca maybe) or tale of the same name? Only a blur in my long agoes anyways, as I read your dragon tale - always a personal favorite subject of mine too. Sounding like you've been hooked-on "World of Warcraft" maybe? I quit gaming after Pac-Man, Asteroids, and Galaxians :)
Cheers for this tale of when dragons ruled and men cowered - Dan

[Jerryk]

Tangie,
Vikings and dragons, some of my favorite subjects. The lorica squamata was the scale armor used by Roman warriors and certainly fits the image of a dragon's scaly skin. The reference to "Clan of Dragons" seems to be an honorary title of an assembly of the king's most-reliable warriors, like Napoleon's "Old Guard"? Maybe. Anyhow, great stuff that stimulates the imagination. Thanks for posting.
Jerry

[tangerinepie]

Dwells
Jerry K

Thank you both for the encouraging comments.I hadn't written a poem about dragons in a long while, so it was fun to put them into use as allies in a battle setting.I appreciate your reading of this poem..Tangie..

[dornicks]

HIn , tangie. Have read this,enjoyed it a lot and left a comment which seems to have disappeared, along with my p.m. facility. Any ideas,please ?

dornicks

[tangerinepie]

Thank you for dusting off this oldie.. I hadn't read this poem in years. It is drastically outdated, but the visuals may live on.
Still love my pet dragons though..Thanks to all of you...Tangie..