Dragon and Non-Violent Hero

The non-violent hero is the one
who is waiting for the dragon's
scales to fall off,
though it has lived for a millenium
and will survive another.
The dragon watches the hero
—who has no scales
cannot breathe fire, or fly
and claims not to
covet the treasure—
the dragon watches the hero
sleeping in a corner of its cave,
with curiosity, with tenderness…
It stirs the fire, thinking.