The Dragon of Green Peter, Oregon
The eye ball is stone,
very likely of ice age origin.
The eyeball turns in its round socket
resting on a long camel's nose.
The head hides until the waters recede and in the remaining calm waters the reflection completes the Camel Dragon.
The stillness is before the rains come.
The head is always in the the island cliff attached to a body.
A serpentine body submerges
and then emerges encircling the shrinking reservoir.
The camel dragon twists in and out of every cove.
The water at the first breath of a breeze sweeps across the open waters nearer my boat. I blink once and twice, I see it the reflection illusion way across on the other side the scaly long body is all above the water's edge. The dragon is levitating.
I see how easy it would have been for ancient prehistoric peoples to connect suggestive illusions to a god of rain.
"The Dragon of Green Peter" is acrylic on cradled Masonite board, 12 " square by 1 5/8" deep, for sale $300.
3 comments:
that is very cool, both the painting and the poem
Thanks Rain,
I had no idea when my husband and I started out on the fishing trip that Green Peter would turn out so interesting. I expected nothing of the man made lake but uglyness. So I didn't even bring a camera. The painting is a memory one.
Just beautiful, Diane -- both the painting and the poem.
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