Watching the clouds,
I suddenly realized
The dragon died.

He was very, very old,
So old I shouldn’t really
Be surprised.

But here I was
Suddenly realizing
I would miss him.

I would no longer
Hear him growl
Inside my head.

I would no longer
Feel his claws
Ripping my heart.

He would no longer
Stare coldly back at me
From the bottom of
A bourbon glass.

He’d been around so long
His death felt like
A sudden amputation.

I didn’t like him.

The feeling was surely mutual.

But in some twisted way
His torture gave me strength

To rebel…

To fight back…

To feel alive.

Now I’d finally won.

I would have to find
My own reasons
To go on.

I would have to learn
How to enjoy life.

Somehow,
That sounded far more scarier
Than the dragon.