This poem came out of the March 4, 2014 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by Anthony & Shirley Barrette. You can read more about Komodo dragons online.
OT: May I donate a poem? Edit if you like.bemused_leftistMarch 7 2014, 20:53:11 UTC
When I see young people discouraged because their movement didn't win dramatically, on the first try (salute to OWS!) here's the metaphor that comes to mind:
waves with foam and force fail against the rocks. another wave always comes. the rock's lost molecules never come back then "suddenly" the rock comes down.
>> Sadly though Komodos do not fly (don't even have wings) <<
Flight is optional for dragons. Eastern dragons don't have wings, for example, and neither do many other types.
>> or have breath weapons (fire, ice, acid or…). <<
That they do have. Komodo dragon bites tend to be rapidly fatal; their spit and breath can cause problems too. People are still arguing over exactly how and why this works. Among the leading theories are venom and hyperactive bacteria. My suspicion is that it's a combination of factors. Some studies suggest that their blood is toxic due to bacteria which do not bother the dragons but are harmful to other creatures. Trouble is, it's very difficult to replicate results when studying them. One team will find something, another tries to verify it, and may get similar results or totally different results. Which kind of makes me suspect a magical factor in play, because magic can make science go haywire.
ISTR reading that a Komodo dragon's bite will fester and not heal (absent prompt medical treatment, which is EXTREMELY recent to evolution), and that the dragon, which is not quick of foot because it doesn't need to be, just follows along till the victim collapses, or slows down enough for the dragon to finish the job and start the meal.
At Dragon Systems, one of our projects was code-named Komodo. I think it was one of the release versions of Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
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waves with foam and force
fail against the rocks.
another wave always comes.
the rock's lost molecules
never come back
then "suddenly"
the rock comes down.
Reply
Reply
Here's a nice picture for it, too. You can focus on the rocks or on the energy of the waves.
http://www.centauri-dreams.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/image-5-cc-by-sa-Mark-Nightingale-final.jpg
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What was that about here there be dragons? :)
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(The comment has been removed)
Flight is optional for dragons. Eastern dragons don't have wings, for example, and neither do many other types.
>> or have breath weapons (fire, ice, acid or…). <<
That they do have. Komodo dragon bites tend to be rapidly fatal; their spit and breath can cause problems too. People are still arguing over exactly how and why this works. Among the leading theories are venom and hyperactive bacteria. My suspicion is that it's a combination of factors. Some studies suggest that their blood is toxic due to bacteria which do not bother the dragons but are harmful to other creatures. Trouble is, it's very difficult to replicate results when studying them. One team will find something, another tries to verify it, and may get similar results or totally different results. Which kind of makes me suspect a magical factor in play, because magic can make science go haywire.
Reply
At Dragon Systems, one of our projects was code-named Komodo. I think it was one of the release versions of Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
Reply
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