Dragon Called "delerium Tremens"
Collapsing like someone (Starving and Desperate), the (Old Man in Blue) batik had been
(Washing Muddy Walls) on his Indonesian hut on stilts when he toppled over. He was (Cut
Down) and left unbalanced by (Vertigo’s Cycle). Bleeding from a cut on his forehead, he lay
on the ground (Wrinkly and Wet) with sweat, Banyu was unable to rise and look for help
(Through the Steamed Windows) of his hut. He never felt so (Abandoned) in his life.
Somehow he had this eerie feeling it was too late to get to higher ground. He thought he
could smell the pungent aroma of (Summer Onions) as he lay looking across the opening to
where (Hanging Berries) were usually found.
Suddenly in the clearing he saw the female Komodo staring at him while tasting the air with
her slimy yellow forked tongue. (Even in Nature) an unexpected appearance of the (Komodo
Dragon) turns a humans’ (Tongue into Knots). Fast becoming a (Summer of Love) late in
May for the (Once Mother—Now Beast) female, she looked for a male Komodo a (Juggernaut
of Love), (Pollinator) in her quest for procreation. Beyond the clearing on the ridge where
cooler breezes prevail, Banyu could see a tumble of male suitors. It looked as though there
were as many as (Sixty Nine Across*). He watched as it took (Two to Tear) the dead water
buffalo apart as they gulped down huge chunks of flesh that set off a feeding frenzy amongst
the males.
Mysteriously, one by one they seemed to be affected by a (Static Calm) as they swung their
reptilian heads towards Banyu. Flicking their tongue and tasting the humid air, strings of
deadly saliva hung from their mouths as they squatted transfigured on Banyu. Momentarily
the female played second fiddle to ravenous hunger. If he survived the attack, their deadly
mouth bacteria would kill him. It is a most insidious way to die (Innocence Never Heals) that
type of wound. Thinking of his gun (What is it Good For?), absolutely nothing. It hung next to
the door on his hut; he could not rise to reach it anyway. Resigned to his fate everything
turned into a (Montage in White) as he succumbed. The nearby villagers drove the Komodo
away then held his face (to the mirror) to check for breathing.
This time they were too late, his frequent heavy consumption of “Bintag and Arak” along with
subsequent “DT’s” had caused a massive heart attack. Banyu avoided being eaten by the
Komodo, only to be consumed by his own personal dragons!
Narrative inspired by the poem titles of Ruben Ortellao.
Copyright © John Trusty | Year Posted 2010
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