Myth?

There is a land of dreams, there is a world
Within this world we’ve come to know as real,
A place where timeless myths become unfurled
And those who enter see the things they feel.

I found once in the early morning hours
Inside a forest bathed in light serene
A boat beside a stream of magic powers,
Unquestioning I climbed into the scene.

There were no oars or sails to catch the breeze
And yet the tiny craft took me away,
The stream flowed up through hills of glowing trees,
I could not feel the water or the spray.

If there were time in dreams I’d count the years
I sailed up through those hills to mountain sky
Through countless visions blurred because of tears,
For beauty in the heavens makes one cry.

Through one last cloud the boat was swept ashore
And climbing out quite eager but sublime
I found great mountains never seen before,
So awesome and impossible to climb.

A sudden terror deep within me burned,
For there behind huge rocks I saw a horn
And fell, clutching my chest, and then I turned
And gasped, “My God, it is a Unicorn!”

Unnerved, in some great mystery we stood,
The beast of God’s beside me bent his knee
And beckoned me to climb on if I could,
I did by faith, not fearing what would be.

Straight up he leaped and tore the mountainside
Undaunted by my grasping him for life.
The mountains were like hills he took in stride
Untouched by winds that cut me like a knife.

Upon a rocky ledge he stopped and screamed,
I held on, frantic, soon to meet my fate,
Instead a vision no man ever dreamed,
For there beside a cliff we saw his mate.

Her presence stunned my mind with awesome force,
I felt the yearning deep within life’s plan
Like love between a maiden and a horse,
Until her glance I’d never been a man.

The two of them took off with eyes like fire
With me still on his back we rode the air.
There was within them both a deep desire,
An urgent task which I must somehow share.

We went not far along a canyon wall
Until they found a crevice in the stone,
An entrance to a cave, for them too small,
So climbing down I ventured in alone.

Now swallowed up by earth’s immortal womb
I heard a cry and through my tears I smiled,
Without my help this cave would be a tomb,
The Unicorns brought me to save their child.

I dug through rocks and found the little tyke
Who poked me with his head to no avail,
His horn was still a tiny velvet spike.
He seemed unharmed although he was quite pale.

With peaceful pride the parents met their son,
To them an heir, to me a little friend.
How could it be that I would be the one
To bring this struggle to a happy end?

I woke up dazed beside the forest brook
And laughed, perhaps my mind had gone insane,
Until I gazed into my hand and shook,
For still I clutched a hair once in a mane.

John H. Bidwell