Dragons intrigue us all, old and young through their monstrous size, their fire breathing gaping mouth, their skin, which reminds us of lizards and snakes. At least this is how they appear in the West where we have a long tradition of having to kill the dragons. In contrast, in most of Asia the dragons are benevolent beings, appearing as thunder clouds, bringing fertility to earth. The poet Rilke had his own idea about dragons as he writes in Letters to a Young Poet:  “Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”

We hope you will be inspired to write a poem about your own dragon for this installment of the Poetry Portal.  Please send your poem to poetry@aras.org by December 15, 2016.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who submitted a poem for the last “Invite to Write,” inspired by the image of Window.  It is always a delight and deeply moving to read your poems.