Sathyani Kotakadeniya
Here Be Dragons
Are ferocious dragons a fantasy or phantasmagoria,
based on assumption or perhaps ephialtes?
There are so many stories about you
But the truth about you remained a mystery for centuries
Claws that cut through glass they say
Soul piercing emerald eyes
Fire breath that will scorch you to a corpse
And will send your ashes flying through the sky
So, like a true coddiwomple one night
I packed up to scour the kingdom
In search of the fire breathing dragon
To descry the creature people feared
I did seek out the dragon months later
But she didn’t resemble the monster
the village folk described
She doesn’t scorch anyone to death
Or eat people alive
She has beautiful golden wings
With gems crested on the ends
And eyes that cradle so much wisdom
And have glistening leather skin
If no man had ever ventured to find her
Why were there so many stories about a beast?
People fear the unknown I realised
And will believe just about anything.
Seasons
She felt a heart wrenching predicament
Fearfully shoved it out the window
But it wafted through the amber meadow
Falling leaves; a cusp of a shadow.
Wintry times came aghast
Crispy in its spine-chilling weather
Freezing to preserve her heart
Till she found the strength to start.
Yet all endings turn to new beginnings
With that sprung spring to life
Bringing a branch of hope
A stem to a new scythe.
The sun beamed in high spirit
Sponging away at the spring-wrung blues
Adding radiance — a newfound warmth
To a canvas of vibrant hues.
Sunset
As the evening sprawls lazily
The ball of fire steeps
Like a tea bag dipped in boiling water
Brewing an assortment of pastel;
A tinge of peach and gold
Among swirls and streaks of yellow.
Clouds like cotton candy;
Pink, purple mellow.
The sky a canvas of colour
Without a stroke of blue pallor
Leaving an aura of love to simmer.
As the sun disappears behind the ocean
Beckoning dusk, dimming the bright
I watch as dusk after sunset melts
Into the navy blue twilight.
Ardour
Don’t be fooled by a fire blaze
Its drawing, ardent flames
The dancing ember
The mesmerising haze
Don’t get too close
Or you’ll go up in flames.
Down the Rabbit Hole
The universe carries secrets
Much of it is still unknown
So, into the unknown, you go
Through the porthole of a rabbit hole.
Did you fall flat in a different dimension?
Does it make you feel euphoric or petrified?
Was this what you hoped for when you started?
Do you remember your way back home?
Maybe you are not as lost as Alice
But maybe you are as mad as the Hatter
Otherwise, you would not be here still
Looking at the Cheshire Cat for answers.
Sathyani Kotakadeniya is a law and psychology dual degree student from QUT. She is an avid reader and writer. She is a frequent contributor to Glass magazine, and was the winner of the September 2020 Australian micro-fiction competition ‘Write from The Heart’.