These poems are excerpted from the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal. Each issue of the Rocky Mountain Pagan Journal is published by High Plains Arts and Sciences; P.O. Box 620604, Littleton Co., 80123, a Colorado Non-Profit Corporation, under a Public Domain Copyright, which entitles any person or group of persons to reproduce, in any form whatsoever, any material contained therein without restriction, so long as articles are not condensed or abbreviated in any fashion, and credit is given the original author.! D & D by Breeze Dragons stalk the courtyard While ogres lurk in the halls guarding fantastic treasures within my castle walls. Magicians, theives, assassins, too, have tried to take my gold. So I sent them to the dungeons where it's always dark and cold. I am the master of my world, the monsters serve me well. So if you try to steal my gold you might not live to tell. (You might end up in hell!) THE UNEXPECTED by Alernon The mantle of solid black Had fallen, shutting out the light. The icy wind that shattered the day Hung limply, sending forth a few Thin fingers of frigid air. The morn half hidden, wind as if suspended, tense, They waited for the sign unknown. The silence - profound, maddening; And then the unexpected - Rain. A STREAK OF BLUE by Alernon A Streak of blue In the silent dawn The stillness is sharp There is no sound. The cycle of life Is complete in one Brief instant of time; A momentary flash - We know no more. ......from R.M.P.J. 8/86 Gifts by Katherine M. Gray (c)1986 I once knew a Song Which needed no singing For it sang itself always. I once knew a Dragon Who knew the way home To my heart's true longing. I once lit a Candle And found a great Council Fire Where the Earth's Children Warmed themselves. I once knew a Tyrant Who grew into an Artist And found himself loved. I once saw a face In a clear running stream That never belonged to me. I once knew a King No bigger than my hand Who rode the wild geese To his homeland. These are the Gifts Which I never have owned And which I never will lose.