A portal into another life, in a new world
where dragons may roam
without suspicion,
where witches are heard behind any closed door
waiting to strike

I'm a dragon
with my knight in shining armor watching from afar.
It is here I stand as I wait,
on the stoop to yet another castle.
Will there be an evil witch
or a dazzling princess?
I'm puzzled when she is neither.
Rather I find a nice old lady
holding in her crooked hands a bucket
from which I steal after a ferocious roar.

My knight tells me I can eat only one of my spoils,
the rest must wait until I return from our quest.
Then it's all mine,
until some idiot brother
comes through and takes some.
He never seems to work for his share of the keep.
Things must change at his age,
he once told me
“big kids don't go around acting stupid
and knocking on doors of random people”

He's wrong though
I see them sometimes
when I'm at the park.
They pretend to be dragons too,
with all sorts of smoke coming out of their mouths
walking around having all sorts of fun
and acting stupid.

One night every year
big kids, like my brother,
will be things other than Smokey Dragons
I like these kids.
They have more fun than the Dragon Boys do.
And the adults don't get upset when they see these guys
they actually give them candy too.

They always see things as absurd
or childish,
well it may be but
I think they too need it.
I see my parents through peepholes
and around corners
sounding upset
Sharing problems

If they could ease up
imagine their world as an adventure,
not a routine,
or an act to put on for others.
Pretend and themselves sometimes
they might smile more
or at least get a life without the bore.

I could imagine for them,
but I doubt it'll help much.
They'd see me and smile
while they're with me
and pretend they're imagining
but they're not
they won't.
But they could.

I'd help them
but I know they know how.
They always saying
“I was your age once too”
I'm not always sure if it’s true though
they don't act like it
they're only knights and princesses
after I transform them;
the tyrants and witches.

I don't want to be that way
when I grow taller, stronger
I want to keep being myself
Keep being free to dream
Be what I please
without another's help
I want to keep imagining