IMOGENE’S NOTEBOOK
Dragon Cultures
A Poem
Published in
Sep 13, 2024
Roosting on rain-slick streets
side-roads on shivering blocks
and behind high-end restaurants
culture gathers in a hush and a puff
These are the dens
Sweet smoke
to warm them
from the inside out
On childhood porches
nesting in windows over sinks
and stoves, vigilant watchwomen
who grit their teeth
and call to their young
They speak through filters
mouths never fully open
never closed
as if to be heard
only by those who can stand the heat
and get close enough
and stay long enough
to listen
and decipher them
through sour fog that billows
around dusk pillows
half-stuffed with old dreams
of rain-slick roads
and shivering alleyways
Other dragons
Other gods
And way beyond five senses
