I wrote this prompt late, and I’m posting it even later. But I didn’t want to waste the work I’d done, so here you go.

My daughter is in love with dragons. She’s working up a fellowship proposal about them, so in the spirit of solidarity, I looked up some dragon poems.

Many people are in love with dragons, and not surprisingly, there is a lot of great dragon poetry — some ancient, some Chinese, some Nordic, much American. Lots of dragon poems are for kids, but not all.

Here is a sampling. Read about dragons and then think about why you might be scared, fascinated, ignorant, or in awe. Then write a dragon poem yourself. What’s in the dark with a flaming breath? Who will bring you good luck or death?

• “My Invisible Dragon” by Kenn Nesbitt (Poetry For Kids)
• “The Tale of Custard the Dragon” by Ogden Nash

From The Poetry Foundation:

• “Beowulf” (modern translation, anonymous)
• “Chinese New Year” by Lynda Hull
• “The Starry Night” by Anne Sexton