Civilization

The dragon is not an animal.
The dragon woke only recently.
All history is its infancy.

At this point, the dragon’s just blinking,
Still barely aware it’s in the nest.
This is a dangerous period,

With a high risk of mortality.
The dragon has nothing to feed it,
No parents around to care for it.

It has no natural predators,
But at this stage it’s still a danger
To itself. Will it burn itself up?

Can it manage to learn how to fly?
Can it terrorize the neighborhood
Without crashing or starving to death?

The dragon is fearsome and fragile
As it lies with its head on its tail,
Contemplating its glittering scales.