[CLOSED] - Poets Pub 2020 - Biggest Competition Ever Vol. 1

What is Courage? (-Nynaeve) wk-2

What is Courage?

In a kingdom faraway, there lived a mighty king,

His son was, by learned scholars and mighty warriors trained;

The prince's friend, a cowherd, always carried a sling,

Differences in birth or rank, their friendship hadn't strained.

One fine summer day, they decided to stroll the haunted wood,

Which rightly, by the elders, they had been forbidden to do so;

But young they were, they wanted to do what they could,

Skipping their duties, they set off, as caution to winds did throw.

For a while, they enjoyed their walk , beneath the shady trees,

Till a little later, the shadows grew longer and leaves rustled;

The silence was eerie, they felt watched by the silent breeze,

And their enthusiasm, slowly dwindleded and shrivelled.

Before long, their adventure they did come to regret,

For though the woods held no ghost, it was indeed home;

To a huge, skulking beast, often heard about but rarely met,

A monstrous animal, that in the forest, silently did roam.

Surprised they stared at each other, both animal and human,

Stood still, for a few seconds, rooted to their very spots,

The beast was hesitant, the prince too shocked to even run,

The cowherd stood frozen, his nerves tied up in knots.

Then to his knees he sank, trained a warrior, the future king,

Despair filling his face, and quite afraid for his life,

Desperate, the scared cowherd threw a stone from his sling,

Just as the prince, with shaking fingers, flung his knife.

Acts of desperation, yet both found their mark,

For it was with a last savage and lusty roar,

The mighty beast, long claws and fur so dark,

Fell with a thud and then moved no more.

Thus were the haunted and much feared woods freed,

By two frightened youths, with a knife and tiny stone,

And there is a lesson for all to be gleaned,

At times, it is in desperation that courage shone.

Now, you little children, this it to be heeded,

Remember this for always, what now you hear,

Courage is doing whatever is needed,

In the face of impossible odds and numbing fear.