∞
playing Dragon
you don’t play Dragon just so
you have to prepare
myself, a Dragon?
what unguents must I apply
which certain bush in forest, field
what prayers have I to chant
which esoteric books to read
light candle, deya, flambeau flame
draw seals and symbols on my skin
line my house with sweet broom bush
abstain from spirits, fast from flesh
avoid the company of friends
drink only spirits, eat only flesh
my heart a blazing stone
within the cavern of my chest
chained
taunted, teased by lesser imps
alone
what price, the sky?
∞
Lisa Allen-Agostini is a writer and journalist from Trinidad and Tobago. Lisa is the author of the book of poems Swallowing the Sky (Cane Arrow Press, 2015) and The Chalice Project (Macmillan Caribbean, 2008). She is co-editor of Trinidad Noir (Akashic Books, 2008). Her poetry and fiction have appeared in Wasafiri, sx salon, Susumba, Lightspeed Magazine, and past simple. A freelance journalist, she has written for the Trinidad & Tobago Guardian and the Trinidad Express and continues to write for Caribbean Beat magazine, the Caribbean Review of Books and other publications.