Chinese Mountain Man I: Dragon Mountain

A master and his pupil stood

Before the foot of Dragon Mount.

They readied themselves for the trek

Across its dark and snowy grots.

Tilting their heads, they watched the fog

Winding around the ancient spires.

Like a slumbering dragon’s breath,

It wrapped around each silent peak.

“The legend says that many tried

And lost their lives,” declared the boy.

Squinting their eyes, they raised their heads

And gazed upon the darkling heights.

The master turned to him, "But have

They crossed its cliffs and scaled its crags?

“And have they dared to make the trek

Up Dragon Mountain’s emerald crests?”

“The people said that only fools

Would dare such things,” replied the boy.

The sage looked up and calmly gazed

Upon the snowy mountaintops.

“True knowledge will always be far

For those afraid to climb its peaks.”

The master spoke and then began

To make the long and winding trek.

David Gosselin is a poet, translator, and linguist based in Montreal. He is the founder of The Chained Muse poetry website and the founder of the New Lyre Podcast. His first collection of poems is entitled Modern Dreams.