I am a dragon.

My fiery mane twists and tangles, remaining unkempt and unpredictable

My spine twists and turns in ways it shouldn’t

Sketches and unfinished paintings hang from my wall like tapestries.

My hoard of socks and dirty laundry reside in the cave-like space between my bed and floor

I remain secluded and far away from any other human being

For both their protection and my own

A dragon can unleash its wrath without meaning to

And I, like a dragon, cannot control my acrimony

But it is not without a purpose

Many a man claim to come in peace only to hurt me in time

To be rid of me and cause me to bleed out

With their swords of insults and arrows of abuse

Finding their way through the chinks in my scaled heart

So that they may receive glory

Thus, I remain in my cave-like room

Until they no longer believe me to be a threat

Or forget me altogether