A Friend In Need
Well, I did always want a dragon.
There once was a cheerful giraffe
Who chortled and giggled his laugh,
But whenever he did,
Friends and family hid —
For they feared he'd flame-breath them to chaff.
-
He came with a knock on my door
As the rain was beginning to pour.
I dodged his red flame
And asked him his name:
“Tiberius Sven Wilberfore!”
-
I let him come stay at my house;
He was funny and sweet as a mouse.
(Though he burned up our chair
And singed Annabelle’s hair.
“That’s alright, she was hiding a louse.”)
-
He wanted to visit my neighbor
So I strapped on my trusty lightsaber
(It was only for show,
Not for striking a blow)
And I got on his back with some labor.
-
Tiberius puffed greyish smoke
(I suppose it was meant as a joke)
But my neighbor’s loud shriek
And her dog’s little squeak
Made his flames putter down with a croak.
-
I distracted her, then, with a snack,
And said, “Please, wait, just cut him some slack.
“He was out all alone,
Now he’s one of my own.”
So she shrugged. “Well, I guess that does track.”
-
(I had taken such houseguests before,
Like a dog with paws big as an oar,
A deaf, blind senior cat,
A cantankerous rat,
And a pal who had left Singapore.)
-
We came home after walking the block,
And Tiberius asked me in shock,
“I can honestly stay?
I won’t scare you away?
I breathe fire and smoke and I talk.”
-
I patted his soft yellow head
And tucked him right into his bed.
“I like spiders and snakes
And I don’t mind mistakes.
You’re my friend. Isn’t that enough said?”
-
He cried great crocodile-sized tears
And he told me his hopes and his fears
Then he laughed in surprise
When his flames didn’t rise —
See, he hadn’t controlled them in years.
-
We adventured through life’s mileposts,
Working hard, meeting friends, fighting ghosts.
But we made time to play,
And we ended each day
With giraffe-sponsored marshmallow roasts.
About the Creator
Jessica Dowding
I have an overactive imagination and I really like petting dogs. I love using creative writing to dig into the small moments that make up humanity.
Comments (1)
I adore this limerick! I still have a soft spot for Puff the Magic Dragon.🙃