The Unicorn

[Frank E Gibbard]

Trotting by the river whinnying reflectively to himself

The youngster suddenly saw himself reflected in water.

Looking fairly handsome today he thought self satisfied,

It was still a relatively new experience away from the herd

He may have seen himself once or twice ever before, but

He still tended to rear back affrighted by the strange sight.

Yes that’s me alright - not an aggressor, not of his family,

What though - what was this? A pointy thing on his head

Whoa! What was it that legend about their near relative the

The “unicorn” was it the so rarely even glimpsed unicorn.

Was he a unicorn? Was he one of those horned creatures?

Like a horse and cousin the deer with its so fabulous horn

Not just the "New Forest pony" that being, he recalled, those

Noises two leg ones call out as he and his four legs ran away

As swiftly as those legs could propel him from their danger.

Mother had warned him of “hoomans” but he remembered

Had told him that hoomans thought unicorns to be as Gods.

 

With a new-found pride and new grown ”horn” up thrust

He flew home to show himself off to those mere ponies.

As he approached the grazing group they looked at him

In all his unicorness neighing shaking their snouts and yes,

Laughing, the lovely ears athwart his horn heard laughter.

No respect or amazement at the only unicorn they ever saw

Why for all the hay ever piled to the highest, did they laugh?

Ha, ha! He's got a tourist ice cream cone stuck on his stupid head.

Spitting grass they were and what were tourist? Ice cream? Cone?

All he knew was this bunch of grass dungs didn’t deserve him,

Wouldn’t know a unicorn if he bit them in their fat backsides.

[goldenlangur]

Hello Frank,

 

I enjoyed the way you build up to that brilliant finale. What a come down for this vain creature with his "new-found pride"!:

 

 

Frank E Gibbard wrote:

 

...Laughing, the lovely ears athwart his horn heard laughter.

No respect or amazement at the only unicorn they ever saw

Why for all the hay ever piled to the highest, did they laugh?

Ha, ha! He's got a tourist ice cream cone stuck on his stupid head.

Spitting grass they were and what were tourist? Ice cream? Cone?

All he knew was this bunch of grass dungs didn’t deserve him,

Wouldn’t know a unicorn if he bit them in their fat backsides.

 

 

Good play on the words here ""spitting grass", "bunch of grass dungs" and the superb finale line:

"Wouldn't know a unicorn if he bit them in their fat backsides" - Perhaps I'm wrong but one can imagine Kenneth Williams, sneering, as only he knew how here!

 

 

Thank you for a great piece.

 

goldenlangur

[Frank E Gibbard]

Thank you Golden for troubling to give this the GL treatment of profound reading into the nitty gritty detail and oh so solid analysis. Sincere thanks. Frank

[Larsen M. Callirhoe]

hi frank,

 

i enjoyed this extremely. i loved the ending. i love mystical creatures such as the unicorn. excellent poem. this must of took some thought to write this one because they really don't exist well at least not on planet earth anymore.

 

larsen

[Frank E Gibbard]

Thanks Larse sorry my creature was less a myth than seemed. Frank