This is the epic of an awfully young hero
Too young by some accounts
While he was no captain Nero
His heart was bigger by huge amounts
Truth be told this young one
Never dreamed a hero he would be
He barely had any time for fun
Survival came first you see
His life had never been simple
Far away was it from pleasing
Every step he took he would fumble
Even at birth he came out kicking and screaming
On that night when he came to the world
When his intelligence first started blooming
He tried eating a flower and failed
Did I mention he was not human?
A small foal our hero was
His mother a chestnut mare
If he was happy it was because
She made the world seem fair
Like when he couldn’t eat the flower
She showed him it was okay
She told him the facts of life for half an hour
And then they slept the night away
Time moved on as it does
Nights and days went by
And when the rains came down causing vision to fuzz
That’s when things started to go awry
At first it was but an annoyance
The ground being soggy all day
And it went on taking more, as if with joyance
They knew not just how much it would take away
Soon walking became a painful task
More swimming than walking really
It came to point that faces were water masks
And sights were nothing but dreary
It was now apparent what this was
As the herd struggled through the mud
The others had to plan leaving because
The rains were now a life-taker, a flood
The herd quickly decided
That if they were to survive
They would need to stay tight knit and crowded
And sadly having some of them die
As the herd began moving through it all
Beginning their long arduous journey
Keeping up their outer stallion wall
While inside the rest stayed sturdy
And it was from this low point that our young one
Showed skill that really shone
For while a danger was coming seen by no one
He was able to perceive it alone
Through the forest of legs and hooves
He recognised a familiar path
One which would many lives remove
And force them to feel heavens wrath
This path that they were going through
Would lead them to the river
That would be their doom for sure
The thought alone was enough to make him shiver
He knew he had warn them
Of the danger that lay ahead
Somehow he would get their attention
Else they would sleep forever in the River bed
But how was he to do that
He was still quite young after all
While not the foal he was at the start
How could he convince the ones who were so tall?
He worried about it as they moved
He worried about it for a long while
He worried that they would disapprove
And that forced his brain to stay immobile
But finally he made his choice
To save all those he cherished
For if he did not find his voice
Then all of them would perish
He whinnied for them to listen
A high pitched piercing squeal
Once he had their attention
Quickly he began his appeal
At first they refused to believe
Calling him a fool
To go so far and see nothing to achieve
They would rather ridicule
They lauded their experience
Challenging his choice
Only when his mother spoke
And added to his voice
Did they dare to think
Did they dare to look
And then they felt their hearts sink
Once they realised it was the wrong path they took
They began to splutter apologies
But the young stopped them in their tracks
He told them there was no time for sorrys
Now was the time to make tracks
And so they marched forward
Doing their best to make it through
Each encouraging the other to move onward
Despite the dangerous muddy stew
They went on despite the water
They went on despite the wind
They went on despite the danger
They went on as the water brimmed
They moved for what felt like hours
Their hooves began to feel like stones
Our hero felt his knees cower
And the chill sink into his bones
Until finally he couldn’t
Move ahead any more
Though he knew he shouldn’t
He stopped, and to the forest floor
He didn’t know what would kill him
Whether he would be trampled or drowned
And just when things were looking grim
Something lifted him of the slimy wet ground
Tired and breathing heavily
His vision all a blur
He thought what had saved me
And then he realised it was his mother
She had come back for her son
When she realised he had fallen
He tried to thank her for what she had done
But instead he started coughing
She told him he should rest
And not say another word
Now they faced another test
They needed to get back to the herd
To save him she had to leave
The safety that came with numbers
When he saw this he couldn’t believe
The extent at which his blunder
Had put them both in danger
And nearly ended both their lives
He lost all hope then and there
And readied himself for their demise
But the mare swiftly stopped that thought
She told him to be brave
All their hard work would have been for nought
If his mind were to cave
After cajoling and persisting
She finally had him convinced
They had to keep moving
And get back to the herd quick
Perilous was the journey onward
Filled with wind and rain
Without the herd’s protection
Every step was filled with cold and pain
Finally the herd was in sight
Finally a turn of luck
All they needed was a step of might
When suddenly disaster struck
His mother suddenly fell down
Her leg on something was trapped
And when she got up from the ground
There came a loud snap
She let out a terrible scream
So loud the dead could have woken
It could only one thing mean
The poor girl’s leg had broken
Our foal tried to help the mare
With everything that he had
But the leg would not be freed from the snare
It stayed strong with its vice like grab
Knowing what had to be done
The mare looked into the foals eyes
She told him that he needed to run
And leave her to her journey to the skies
The foal begged that she come with him
There just had to be a way
Or else his mistake would become a sin
And he would blame himself everyday
She told him he was not to blame
That this bad thing had happened
He should go and live without shame
And live his life knowing she was gladdened
That she had such a good son
So brave and so kind
To always remember she was his loved one
And always keep her in his mind
After much more convincing
And crying on his part
He left her after kissing
Her forehead, it broke his heart
And so his life was saved
Along side the rest of the herd
And as for the promise he had made
He made sure to keep his word
He lived his life to the fullest
And had many more adventures
And while his actions weren’t the surest
From his mistakes he always learned
And thanks to his actions from the past
He made many new sisters and brothers
But even now he will not forget his loss
His one, his only, his mother
Alternative Yoga 