Story #83 - Dragon Farming
Our treatment of animals will be considered ghastly by our descendants.
(Note: I eat meat. I’m not better than you, or anyone.)
Dragon Farming
Their sleeping pens measure a quarter mile across the floor
A thousand pounds of corn is their needed daily intake
Without earplugs a farmer will be deafened by the roar
They snort fire when they sleep and belch smoke often when awake
Although it is thus true that dragon farming is a chore
There’s really nothing quite so fine as a prime dragon steak
*
Under a thousand feet of ice the first dragon was found
T’was just a bit of wing but that bit was enough to build
A full helix of DNA once it was above ground
They printed flesh from stem cells and the helix was instilled
Dragons went viral and the watching world was spellbound
As the first drake took flight and the sky with its roar was filled
*
They tried a theme park first but twelve were killed within a week
The tourists not having proper respect for dragon fire
They tried to breed out fiery breath and make the dragons meek
All of their efforts only made dragon aggression higher
Its genes they tried to push and fudge and patch and shim and tweak
Yet always failed and had to roll back to the version prior
*
They next tried to use dragon breath as a source of power
By strapping turbines and contraptions to their scaly snout
But their devices melted from the heat within the hour
The nationwide electric grid suffered from a blackout
They tried a hundred things with dragons but they all turned sour
Whether they should exist at all people began to doubt
*
They’d even tried to eat the dragons but found that their flesh
Was tough and dry and sinewy no matter how prepared
They tried it grilled and smoked and boiled they tried it aged and fresh
But it was to a rubber tire the meat was most compared
Not one fine dining haven from New York to Bangladesh
Could serve the beast without their prominence being impaired
*
Until some maniac butchered a dragon still alive
Removed some choice medallions from the creature’s underside
Fried them up with some butter tarragon basil and chive
And served them medium-rare before the dragon had died
Such delicacy caused the maniac’s mind to connive
“These beasts will make me rich!” the evil dragon butcher cried
*
And best of all the next day when the maniac awoke
The dragon’s wounds had healed magically overnight
Such healing made it tired so it breathed not fire but smoke
The Butcher thought it handy that it lost its will to fight
Taming dragons by butchery became his masterstroke
It worked again the next day to the maniac’s delight
*
Before long were spread throughout many remote desert lands
Dragon farms where thousands of the fell beasts were daily maimed
Until the edge of death their blood rained down upon the sands
Then healed overnight and in their exhaustion were tamed
All so dragon meat could be lifted by forks in soft hands
While “my this is exotic” by rich tongues could be proclaimed
*
A thousand times and more the same dragon’s meat could be sold
Which according to capitalism was pretty great
Dragons became a product not a wonder to behold
Their suffering placed out of sight so those who their flesh ate
Would eat in blissful ignorance having never been told
The horror that it took to put dragon steak on their plate
END
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This one hits deep
A dark commentary on human nature- written in your unique style of poetry. Another winner!