PROSE VERSE
Naga!
A Prose Verse Response to Martin Rushton’s STL Challenge The Impromptu Prompt 2 the weekend challenge I dare ya!
Divine in deity or divine race
To dwell beside water rivers and seas,
The Naga guardians of treasure and
Myths, from South Asia across South East Asia
Travelling across to the far east,
The Naga kings are female known as Nagi.
In Hinduism Naga’s are powerful,
A splendid proud semi-divine race
Assuming human part human,
Snake part snake, from an underworld
Filled with jewels and gold.
In Buddhism the Naga, a tremendous magical cobra,
Or snake with many heads able to assume human form,
Followers of Virupaksa guardian of the west
With his all-seeing eye.
Mucalinda protector of Gautama Buddha
Giving shelter with its seven heads
While Buddha meditates after enlightenment
During a great storm.
Mucalinda then taking the form of a Brahmin,
Paying homage to Gautama Buddha.
You will find these great Naga’s
Who desired to become Buddhist monks
Unable as they are not human,
Protecting the way
Leading you safely as you climb
The steps to the holy Buddhist temples.
Sri Lanka home to a tribe of Naga people,
Superhuman’s taking the form of the snake,
Inhabitants of the underworld.
While Cambodia’s seven-headed Naga’s
Represent seven Naga tribes
Symbolic of seven colours in the rainbow,
A male Naga representing energy,
While eight-headed females represent the earth.
Apparently…
Thailand and Laos share the legend of two Naga kings,
Creating the Mekong river.
Naga’s protecting the city of Vientiane while
Naga’s control rainfall and helped build the Kingdom
In Northern Thailand and so revered by royal families.
The Naga engrained heavily in both of their cultures.
Javanese and Balinese cultures find the Naga
A giant magical crowned serpent, sometimes winged
An influence from cobra Nagas similar to Shiva-Hinduism,
Unlike the Chinese Naga’s which sprouted legs!
While in Malay, lake Chini in Pahang is home
To a Naga called Sri Gumum.
Tales and traditions art and tattoo’s all celebrate
The myth of these serpent beings,
Asia’s king of rivers, water and sea.
NAGA!!
Thank you Martin Rushton for this STL Challenge, it took me bloody ages!
Thank you for reading. J.
Thank you for your support and for giving my words a home!
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