Edge of the bar I sat nursing a drink Searching for reasons cruel life at the brink Heads it ends here or tales it goes on When in walked a fellow I knew him as John
Sat down beside me and ordered a sip Asked me if I would be up to a trip The pay is amazing, adventure is bliss Lucky for you to be meeting like this
What are the details John please be specific Well, he said wryly, we cross the pacific You know I hate boats, last time it was moats I won’t ride on goats and I eat more than oats
A million a day you get paid on the way If that ain’t enough I don’t know what to say It does sound intriguing you’ve got my attention There must be some danger that you didn’t mention
Embarcadero the ship sails at dawn The good ship Iguana be sure to get on No room for luggage so just bring your skills Really tough hiking and steep rocky hills
Slapped down a crown royal bag on the fount Chock full of baubles enormous amount Up from the barstool he walked out the door Newly come wealthy I ordered one more...
The water had white caps both foamy and thick I’d long lost my sea legs the swells had me sick But night on the ocean is brimming with stars The salt air a heavenly respite from bars
Early next day in the cool of the morning The dolphins leapt up and one offered me warning ‘Beware cool seduction of bauble or million Don’t fall asleep in the Dragon’s Pavilion’
Landfall came after a month and a day Moored the Iguana a mile from the bay Amber skinned beauties who never wore shoes Greeted us in their outrigger canoes
Set up a tent beyond reach of the waves Two lost to scurvy committed to graves Clothing was set soak and wet by a fire After it dried we lay down to retire
Morning came swiftly and shooed the mosquitos Sweet amber ladies made seafood burritos Gazing toward inland and over the trees A hot barren rockscape 100 degrees
We finished up breakfast and said our goodbyes Great was the sadness in almond shaped eyes ‘When we return we’ll stay with you a while’ Not understanding they only could smile
The trek was long and hard you betcha Lesser men would’ve ridden a stretcher Off the beach and through the palms Salting off leeches and cradling small arms
That night camp was pitched on stones John read runes and black cat bones A parchment stretched across his lap Illegible scribbles on a wrinkled map
This is where a bamboo bridge Sways in the wind from a thousand-foot ridge Tap and tap he hit the map With an index finger just like that
Cross that bridge and find the treasure Amassed by kings at the Pharaoh’s pleasure But first we have to cross expanse Where twirling winds of the devils dance
At dawn we double checked our gear Tasted brass, a sign of fear Igneous rock like hot black glass Steered us to a mountain pass
Bit my own hand made it bleed from the knuckle I choked on the gasses and felt my knees buckle Once in a lifetime one chance in a million And there in the distance, the Dragon’s Pavilion
Our small expedition had dwindled to eight The rickety bridge couldn’t handle our weight We spent a long moment suspended on high Convinced to a man pretty soon we would die
The dry rot had weakened the weathered bamboo And one guide was lost when a board snapped in two On such expeditions one never gets bored He saved himself pulling a parachute cord
He landed quite safely a half-mile down Gave some thought to climbing but then turned around A close call like that surely gave him a scare Turned back toward the beach, said ‘I’ll wait for you there!’
We arrived at the portal and stopped for the night The monolith bathed us in shimmering light Four stories high stood the dragon head’s roof Vampire bats hung between every tooth
Inside the mouth I saw stairs leading down Torches descended to where they bent round Crickets were chirping their dark symphony Why I was here was a mystery to me
All through the night came a drip and an echo Inside the walls were patrolled by the gecko I had first watch and sat stroking my whiskers Listening below to inaudible whispers
We rejoined our quest in the dark of the night Avoiding our eyes being blinded by light Descending the stairway with great trepidation Blind monkeys chittered with anticipation
Exiting one world to enter another Not unlike leaving the womb of your mother Piano key steps leading down to abyss Every so often a spiral or twist
Spiders and scorpions littered the ground Often the men thought of turning around But shiny gold torch handles beckoned us on Revealing blue gemstones the size of your palm
Some filled their pockets right up to the brim Making their chance at returning quite slim Weighing them down and making them tired One fell asleep and soon after expired
All we could do was to leave him right there Spending eternity rich on the stair I thought of the dolphin who warned of a million I won’t fall asleep in the Dragon’s Pavilion
Finally the stairway led onto a rise Where out in the darkness I thought I heard cries And there on a nest of sticks thick as my legs Sat half a dozen gargantuan eggs
Each of the eggs stood eleven feet tall Something was moving inside of them all Using a torch I could see in the light Inside the egg he who died here last night!
Some kind of magic a dragon possessed Drew life from the body, the egg did the rest He who would slumber will feed a reptilian Beware not to sleep in the Dragon’s Pavilion
Every large egg had a sleeper inside Sometime or other they slept and they died Now they were meal worms inside of a keg And here came a baby to feast on the egg
Seven of us had our backs to the wall Hoping that he wouldn’t see us at all This baby dragon who squeaked like a mouse Twenty feet tall and as big as a house
He cracked the egg open and drank from the top Nothing could keep him from drinking the slop Cute baby dragon teeth big pointy ears That’s when she landed, the sum of our fears
Scaly behemoth came out of the dark Sounding a roar like a hell-hound’s half-bark Suddenly lifted her nose in the air No way too fool her, she knew we were there
Backs to the wall we ascended the stair High tailed it out of this dangerous lair Mothering dragon had wanted to sear But stifled ignition with baby so near
She-dragon gave her cute baby a cleaning Also gave fear for our lives a new meaning Upward and outward we climbed like the dickens Soiling our pants and quite proud to be chickens
On the way up we extinguished all torches Re-lit by witches who sat on their porches Run! they cried after us shaking their brooms All the blind monkeys ran back to their rooms
One and again we spilled into the sun Quite out of breath and with nowhere to run She-dragon wanted to follow us out But cries from her baby made her turn about
Many embarked on this journey for gold Few could return so the story be told Of prophecies, dolphins and gemstones worth millions Monkeys and witches and dragon pavilions
epilogue:
So if you should find yourself high on a ridge Dangling one-handed by rope from a bridge Be sure to return to the beach with your booty And offer a gem to an amber-skinned beauty!