Warrior Legend

Keegan Smith (as a 4 year old) used his imagination and wrote this story.

1. In the middle of the night
near the end of the Nile
hid a hungry old python,
as long as a mile

As he slithered along
in his search for more prey,
a cute pink flamingo
stood asleep on the clay

With good luck on her side
for in the jungle above
lived a loin cloth warrior
brought up with ape love

As he swung down to
rescue the innocent bird
he slit the snake’s throat
but not a sound was heard

2. When the morning sun rose
where the trees meet the sea,
an old ship full of pirates
surveyed the still scene,

They were poaching for monkeys
and elephant tusks, they
could trade back in London
for liquor and lunch

As they hoarded their treasure
in cages aboard, our
jungle warrior attacked
and his lion friends roared!

But the smugglers, so many
with cutlasses sharp
forced him over the gangplank
to be eaten by sharks.

3. As the pirate ship stalled
near the entrance to Thames
a powerful sloop filled
with blonde Nordic men

Quickly gaining in speed
as together they rowed
they sliced clean through the
old ship and the pirates all froze

With their treasure the Vikings
chased pillage and pearls
they plundered all night
dancing one or two too many twirls,

They all fell where they landed
sleeping sound round the fire
while a crafty old Celt Saint
sailed their sloop off to Eire

4. An explorer, he claimed he’d
been to new found land,
where an indian brave gave
him food and shook his hand

Back past sea monsters
whales and mountains of ice
he returned with a brave girl
who was beautiful, clever and nice

She could teach them the colours
of sky, wind and peace
But her Dad missed her madly
she’d been gone for two weeks!

With his tomahawk, sharp
poison arrows and bow
in his kayak he sped
his best girl safely home

5. To his land where good
warriors honoured all souls
prayed in thanks for the fields
where the buffalo roam

’till they had to pack up
teepee, woman and child
now to find somewhere new
no more free, no more wild

But his stallion was shot
as the gun thunder raved
the huge horse falling down
almost crushing the brave

And the shots kept on ringing
like the gods crazy gone
as under a white palomino
one last brave’s breath was drawn.

6. The cowboys, they carried
gun fights further south
across Amazon forests
through red rivers from hell

They discovered a temple
all covered in gold, the
guards taught them of auras,
it was a sight to behold

As they scaled to the top
of the slope, hot and steep
they dropped all of their guns
down a mine nine miles deep

And were asking forgiveness
on true hearts and bent knees
when God opened the gates and
said, “Send them all please!”

7. The old Aztecs in thanks,
set their workers a task
to create a space rocket
as a treat for the guards,

It flew straight through the clouds
twice around our blue earth
then decided to land
in the desert near Perth

All the locals from thousands
of miles soon appeared
and they danced a g’day song
while their guests were well fed

“What’s the fun round these parts?”
the guards wanted to know,
“Catching croc’s” said the locals,
so the guards said “Let’s Go!”

8. As the hunters stalked with silent steps
beside the muddy creek, a
crocodile grabbed an Aztec guard and
spun him in a death roll, deep

Then the croc’ reared up on his little hind legs
he must have been ten metres tall,
the hunters launched a shower of spears
and the monster began to fall

When mother earth jumped out of a hill
and fired up the crocodile’s nose
a missile with a new concoction
called “A-Thousand-Times-A-Grow”

The croc grew so big you couldn’t see the sun at all
then as his shadow darkened the area
he staggered around and forward sprawled
across the Gulf of Carpenteria

9. They pinned his legs and crossed his back,
to a Pagan city which was under threat
of a raid by the meanest warrior ever
he was due by the morning after next

When the Genghis sure was on his way
the sentries lit their lanterns
and they evacuated the city,
except for cats and goats, and bantams

Careering in with his riders
the great Khan spun his mount
but there was no-one here to fight him
as his riders searched, he seethed and scowled

So he marauded town and country,
’till he was greying, old and bored
and when his fighting days were over
he fell on a sacred samurai sword

10. Many years later by a young boy’s bed,
a learning ear was listening
as such warrior stories were being read
his steely eyes would glisten

The Bruce Lee life began with pride
he trained all night and worked each day,
adding discipline with grace and style
to further expand all barriers of pain

These marshal arts were far advanced
but any exercise is good for our hearts
some kids became tournament winning stars
others had gym dancing, high kicking grandmas

Kung fu caught the world’s imagination
dragons would enter and come out healthy
but despite all the multi-movie extravaganzas
happiness could not be guaranteed alone from wealthy

11. So while on holiday off Fiji,
Bruce met Mohamed the Ali,
and they soon agreed to have
a once forever fight-off

A Suva rugby ground was set,
the punters placed a billion bets
the cameras ready, now could
some-one turn the lights-off!

Well there were knockdowns, hits and kicks
the guts and cuts made people sick
Still toe-to-toe in round
one hundred and eleven

When for the second-ever time
the clouds burst open with bell chimes
and God said, “Send those two
straight up now, to Heaven”

12. They went directly over to the cowboy cloud,
and asked “If fighting’s not allowed,
what can we do up here for entertainment?”

Lone ranger said, “Down south, below us
on the long cloud Aotearoa
there’s a Sunday evening hangi in a big grey tent.”

“Before the end of every show,
they let the women and children go,
only the bravest and the warriors are left.”

“Then they perform a haka roar
the loudest dance you ever saw, and
all us warrior legends run right home to bed.”

Next: Cover Photo