Author's Note: Hi everyone! Thanks to all the people who have reviewed! I love you all. Those reviews really make me happy. Sorry this one took so long, but it's a little longer than usual to make up for the wait. Hopefully I should have the next poem, chapter, thingie ma-bob up Sunday or Monday. BTW, this one is written in past-tense. I usually write in a tense of my own, using "would do" instead of "is doing" or "did." In doing this, I feel like I'm keeping the poem-feel to my narrative, and suggesting, that this sort of situation had happened more than once (as situations often reoccur in childhood.) However, this one felt more like a story than a poem as I was writing it, so I chose past tense. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone too much...I should stop talking now.... Okay, without further ado, here's 6.
Age: 3 (4 or 5)
Koari's Age: 5 (6 or 7)
6-Meeting
Crack!
Mirian whipped her tail,
with its blade, against the tree
who groaned in protest for
being used as a young girl's
practice target
Crack!
Success!
her tail hit the same mark it had earlier
May I join you?
a polite, quiet thought asked
it belonged to a young boy
a few yards away
shaking with excitement
and nervousness over
finally speaking to her
Who are you?
Mirian asked, leery over
anyone her own age that would speak
to her (for most other children
were forbidden to talk to such
a savage, uncivilized child)
My name is Koari-Naful-Naparaken
I am Mirian
What do you want?
To play with you of course!
I want to be your friend
Mirian didn't know what to say
to his sentiments
Koari surveyed her
marks in the wood of the tree
Good
his tail flew into the bark
precisely where she had hit
Good
Mirian said shortly in return
who was this stranger
who thought that he had a right
to come into her secret game
and take it over?
Can we run?
Koari asked suddenly
I have seen you run before
and I have always wanted to come with you
Fine
We can run
hopefully away from
the odd boy
whom Mirian wished
would go away
just like that
she ran
as fast as a bolt of lightning
from a stormy summer sky
the blew hard
rustling the grass
and creating tumbleweeds
fast as the wind was
Mirian outraced it
pounding hoof on
hard dirt ground
Wait, Mirian!
Koari ran
older
stronger
bigger
the male caught up to her
their hooves beat
the blue-colored grass
their rhythms became one
as his hearts
pounded in time to hers
two Andalites
running the plain
as it had been
for a millennia
just
the sky
the ground
and the hooves
somewhere in between
they slowed down
to a more leisurely run
and, panting,
they came to a stop
had they been running for
minutes or hours?
but Mirian
from now on
would always carry
the image of Koari
white tail blade
flashing in the sunlight
running beside her
I want to be your friend
Mirian remembered
his words as she caught her breath
and said
So you can run
after all
And so they made arrangements
to meet the next day
and the day after that
