Genre: Life, Society
She Dreams of Dragonflies
by Cynthia Mansfield
@GypsyCyn1
The wide eyed child stood silently
With a faraway look everyone could see
Her mama looked down,smiled and took her hand
What’s wrong, girl, what are you trying to understand?
Waiting for the answer like only a mother can.
Lost in thought, the little girl replied
Mama, where do dragonflies go to dream?
Where do they go to die?
Are they sleeping in the tall pine trees?
Or high in the clouds where they see everything
Where do they go when they fly?
Is it a place far away?
Is it a place we cannot see?
Do they sleep with the angels
In a red & purple sky
Or sit quietly in the clouds on grandpa’s knee?
Her questions came as no surprise
Her crystal blue eyes were always gazing at the sky
Watching for the birds, the ladybugs and butterflies
Mama sat down, pulling her daughter close
Pondering the questions the child had just posed,
Remembering a fairy tale her daddy once told
Just an old legend from long ago
With a sigh, she held her daughter’s hands
And let the story begin…
There’s a tale told from days of old
Of what became of lost souls
It was said that when a person dies
Their soul was set free and rose to the sky
Drifting in the clouds, awaiting their demise.
For some, their journey is done
And to the heavens they will continue on
For others, they are sent down below
To spend eternity in the dark and alone,
Those who remained were stuck in between
Until they could be reborn, to live again
You could say they were angels in training
Bound for the heavens but for one lesson remaining.
The angel elders appointed a soul guardian
A beautiful silvery white gossamer dragon
She would gather the souls and softly sing
Comforting & caring for them like her own offspring,
But the souls were restless and wanted to stray
The dragon opened her arms so they could go play
And thousands of little angels spread their tiny wings.
When the sun would hide and night took over the skies
The guardian would call the angels to her side
But the angels were bored and loved to fly
So when the dragon slept they would sneak away
And in the clouds they would dance and play.
Well, the devil was impatient and soon grew tired
Of waiting for souls to strengthen his fires
So when the dark would fall, off he’d go
Waiting for a gypsy wind to blow,
And when the angels wings glistened in the light of day
The devil swooped in and stole the helpless souls away.
The angel elders were greatly dismayed
The beautiful dragon cried and hung her head
Blaming herself for the souls being dead
But in her sorrow, she devised a plan
Gathering her remaining angels, she quietly began.
She folded her wings, holding the souls close
What magick she used, no one truly knows
But that night when the dragon spread her wings
The air was sweet, the angels began to sing,
That gypsy wind started to blow
A blue moon shone on the world below
The angels sang a soft and lovely tune
And, with a sigh, and not a moment too soon
Lightning flashed from the dragon’s eyes
And out from the clouds came the dragonflies.
Now you know, the angels loved to fly
So at night they would sneak away from heaven
Visiting the world below in disguise
They would streak across the sky at night
Leaving a trail of stars in their flight
Circling the moon & making it glow
Dancing on the gypsy wind that would blow.
Yes indeed, the devil was perplexed
He was certain that this was some kind of hex
In his anger, he yelled out a curse
Any angel not back in heaven by the break of dawn
Is doomed to remain on earth from that moment on.
The child asked her mom, how can that be?
Dragonflies are stuck here for eternity?
Mama smiled and said, it’s a bittersweet end
They are doomed to live over and over again.
Oh but there’s more, just wait and see
There’s one way for them to be set free
The legend says the devil’s curse
Was too strong & could not be reversed
But the dragon cast her own little spell
A secret the angel elders swore to never tell,
But its said if you look to the sky
And a dragonfly passes you by
If you make a wish and close your eyes
He will fly away on a gypsy wind
Free to be reborn into this world again.
The child seemed happy as they headed home
Suddenly the skies above didn’t seem so unknown
Later that night, when it was time for bed
She hid under her covers and rested her head
But her mind started to wander and sleep would not come
So over to the open window she did roam.
Lost in thought, her blue eyes sparkled like the stars
She held out her hands and suddenly, there he was
Blue as the moon with wings that glowed
With a sound like angels singing soft and low,
Then all was silent, no words were said
But her wish was like a song in her head
With that, he flew away with the gypsy wind
Ready to be reborn into this world again….
Some boys dream of shiny fast cars
Playing baseball and being rock stars
But alone at night
They all stare at the sky
And wonder why they can’t fly.
Some girls dream of little june bugs
Butterfly kisses and daddy’s hugs
But not this one, no sir, no lies
Can you guess why?
This girl dreams of dragonflies…
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