Saying Goodbye to Puff the Magic Dragon!

“Puff The Magic Dragon” was a song written by Peter Yarrow and recorded by the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary. Released in 1962 when I was a young teenager, I loved the thought of a magical time of childhood when I could pretend that dragons were real and there was a magical land called Honah Lee.

The song was based on a poem written in 1959 by Lenny Lipton, a student at Cornell University. In the library on campus one night Lipton found a book of poems by American Poet Ogden Nash. He found he could not stop thinking of one of the poems, “The Tale of Custard The Dragon.” Inspired by the first lines of the poem, Lipton wrote about Puff and his friend Piper.

Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.

While I loved the song then and viewed it as a reminder of my childhood days when I had imaginary friends; when I became a grandmother, it took on a greater meaning.

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee. Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff and brought him strings, and sealing wax, and other fancy stuff. Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail. Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff’s gigantic tail. Noble kings and princes would bow whenever they came. Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name.

How I treasure those days when they were little and we played games on the floor, took walks through the park examining every flower and tree, sang silly songs, read books and played with imaginary characters.  Through their young eyes, I saw the magic of the world again.  The beauty of the snow, the thrill of a rainbow in the sky after a storm, the joy of feeling the soft spring rain on my face.  Through their imagination, I hid from the ghost, fought with the Ninja turtles, tossed food to Bernard the alligator that lived in our basement.

A dragon lives forever but not so little boys.  Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys.  One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more.  And Puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain.  Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane.  Without his life-long friend, Puff could not be brave, so Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped into his cave.

While the last verse of the song sounds so sad, I still enjoy my grandchildren who are now almost all young adults.  Our relationship is different, of course, but I enjoy hearing about their studies, their new careers, their hopes and dreams.  It is neat to relate to them more as adult to adult than adult to child. 

Twelve years ago, my last grandchild was born. Coming after the rest of the grandchildren were past the days of Puff and the magic dragon, I was thankful for one last chance at visiting the magic land of Honah Lee.

Every moment with her has been a joy just for herself along. But I have also relived the past years with my other grandchildren as I watched her explore and discover the world all around her just as they did.  Sometimes something she said or did brought my mind back to another time, another grandchild.

Of all my grandchildren, I think she has had the greatest imagination. Oh – the places we have visited and the people we have met.

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I sometimes have wished I could “freeze” her and hold her at this age a little longer, but she too is growing up.  She informed me recently that she is no longer a kid but a “pre-teen.” The time has come for Puff to slip into his cave again – this time for the last time.

Sadly, not long after its release this wonderful song about childhood and the loss of innocence as children become adults was hijacked by the media. A urban legend began that this song was about using marijuana. The claim was that the name “Jackie Paper” was referred to rolling papers used in marijuana cigarettes and “Puff” implied smoking marijuana.

But the composer of the poem, Lenny Lipton, and the writer of the song, Peter Yarrow, vehemently denied that the song has any connection to drugs. They stated, “The song is about childhood, and the loss of innocence that comes with the end of childhood, nothing more sinister than that.”

For me, I will always love Puff and he will live on in my memories forever.