On April 5, 2022

Day 5 prompt from NaPoWriMo.net https://www.napowrimo.net

…”Today, I’d like to challenge you to write a poem about a mythical person or creature doing something unusual – or at least something that seems unusual in relation to that person/creature. For example, what does Hercules do when he loses a sock in the dryer? If a mermaid wants to pick up rock-climbing as a hobby, how does she do that? What happens when a mountain troll makes pancakes?”

Paul Bunyan

Every day, Paul walks the half mile

to the barn, greets Babe, the blue

ox who shares his mythic story.

The two stand tall, dwarf us

all. They say that he was seven feet 

in stocking toes, but who knows?

Was he from Quebec? Who the heck

knows, his first mention, Beaverton, Michigan,

though some proclaim his California fame.

And when did Babe, the Blue Ox appear?

Whatever the case, her fate, I fear, to stand forever

in Minnesota. I bet she doesn’t give one iota.

Ten thousand lakes they say he made,

and carved the Grand Canyon too.

And piled up stones to create Mount Hood.

Seems a mythical lumberjack thing to do.

He’s even mentioned by Stephen King

in the novel, It, he’s a regular thing.

Carol A. Stephen

April 5, 2022