From the start, I should like to thank Melissa Lemay for her prompt — Melissa’s Fandango Flash‑Fiction Challenge #374 — which inspired my poem and song The Bearded Dragon and the Locust. Without it, I doubt I’d ever have imagined such an idea.
I hope you enjoy the result.
The Bearded Dragon and the Locust
The bearded dragon couldn’t believe
he had a locust for a hat.
If anyone told him
he’d wear one—
he’d laugh
out loud
at that
The locust said,
“I hope you don’t mind
my landing on your head.”
The bearded dragon said,
“Not at all, old chap,
please use me as a seat—
in this heat—
I’m rather glad
to wear you
as a cap.”
The locust and the bearded dragon
became firm friends
until the day
when friendship ends
The locust said,
“Goodbye,
and toodle-oo,
I have to go—
s’been fun knowing you.”
The bearded dragon
bids farewell,
“Adieu.”
Then as his hat
hopped off his head
the locust flew
away
the bearded dragon
knew—
he’d see his friend again
someday
when the sun is hot
and the bright full moon
is blue.
—Lesley Scoble, May 2026
Audio – The Bearded Dragon and The Locust – Song 🎶
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My gratitude to Melissa, for providing the prompt that sparked this poem.
My thanks to the photographer, Philip Veater, for capturing the remarkable moment of the locust perched on top of the bearded dragon’s head.
And my special thanks to you, the reader, for spending this time with me.
LesleyScoble.com 
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