For a Dragon Scale

There once was a land with trees so wide

The sky was broad and tears filled the sky

For there was a dragon with a thick old hide

And his smallest teeth were bigger than knives.

He spewed his fire across the land

Making it charcoaled, black and bland

Causing grief and despair,

The dragon did not seem to care.

All those who wandered near were taken up with fear

“What shall we do?” “Where do we run?”

All were shaken, but then came relief,

A pair of knights spoke out, if but brief.

“Do not despair good people of Nowhere!

For we are dragon slayers, right and slim

And we shall kill this dragon before today’s light dims!”

A great cheer rang about with sounds of applause

Their heroes had come to save them all.

The knights rode out with a promise of truth

They would bring the people a dragon's scale as proof.

Until high noon they did ride,

Finding the dragon sunning his hide

Asleep on a rock

They crept up in their socks

When they were close

They could see the smoke,

Rising from its great snout- and teeth poking out like spokes.

With a nod to each other and a great shout,

The knights jumped onto it’s back in a great bout.

The dragon reared and bucked

But the knights hung on

Shouting, “Dragon, stop with this ruse and let’s get on!”

The dragon stopped and with a toothy grin,

It held a shiny scale out to them.

For half of a reward they traded their treasures,

They never had to fight,

Not even once, not ever.