The Hare And The Tortoise, A Twist In The Tail! Poem by Andrea Valles Mata

Good evening Ladies and gentlemen, Girls and boys
Pay me attention, put away all your toys.
We have come here this evening, to signal an end,
Of a journey embarked on by colleague and friend.

This brings to my mind a story of old,
A story with drama and action so bold.
Now all of you know of the hare and the tortoise,
And the race that they ran with good will and purpose.

The aim of the story was about who wins the race,
The tortoise so slow or the hare’s brilliant pace.
But many of us failed to pay some attention
To those participants, the author forgot to mention.

The dog and the cat, the chicken and duck,
The goat and the donkey, all tried out their luck.
A Monkey too, and also a cow
Set off to discover and learn the way how.

The task was to get to point B from Point A,
And to do so without really knowing the way.
Of course there were maps and paths to follow
But instructions aren't always so easy to swallow.

The dog with his keen sense of smell, led the pack,
But he ever so often stopped to play by the track.
The cat whose keen eyes can pierce the dark,
Was dazzled by day and often slept in the park.

The duck and the chicken our two friends of feather
Battled all types of inclement weather,
In summer and winter, in spring and the fall
The birds forged ahead, they gave it their all

The goat was often hungry, the donkey took his ration
The cow was very beautiful, and wore the latest fashion
The monkey with his flashing eyes and cheeky smile,
Would always make sure to he went the extra mile.

Each animal had a different gift, a different reason too
For starting on that famous race, I tell you it is true.
They all set off upon their way with dreams of future glory
Which brings us now, unfortunately to the end of this great story.
So who won the race, we clamor to ask
We've placed our bets, they've finished the task
Well they all did – they all reached the goal
They overcame the odds, they all played their role.

And now, standing proudly with the tortoise and the hare,
The cat, the dog, the donkey, the cow beautiful and fair.
The mission is accomplished, the race is almost done
But oh – hang on – what’s this? Another journey has begun! ! !