Little Dragon Grand-Daughter Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Little Dragon Grand-daughter
The mythical fire-breathing dragon, one of the four holy animals in Vietnamese folklore and legends, has a very significant place in the country's culture. According to legend, the Vietnamese are descendants of the dragon

My little dragon grand-daughter
Brightens Ho Chi Minh like an opening orchid
Her tiny toes flip flop past sleeping scooters

A troupe of dancers wearing their dragon costume
Weave around her, lost in New Year joy

She raises her lovely eyes in childish wonder
Stunned by the sounds of bells, the reds and golds
Like sunsets bursting above her
Clouds of colour and light

Far away in my chilly Northern city I give thanks
That the gate of childbirth opened to some purpose

Three times she died, three times came back
To the world of sound and being
Uncertain hold on life at the beginning
So small a thing, a breath, unseen and precious