Legend Of The Twin Peaks Poem by Deanna Samuels

Long, long ago, there was a tale
A tale now so remote and pale
In the mists of time a story almost lost
Of passion, adventure, bravery, to a hero's cost

It had been said in those days beforehand
Of a far away place deep in the hinterland
A legend of a wondrous lost twin peak
Of the many adventurers which did it seek

It was told of the steep sheer face
Barren of all foliage, impossible to pace
Surrounded, protected by a forest of entwined thicket
So dense, impossible to penetrate through and within it

It was also told of magical unknown seen creatures
Living aloft the twin peaks' dense plateau features
Of strange distant muffled sounds
Dissipating into the atmosphere high above and surround

With this mystery tale of twin peaks wonder
Our hero found himself enticed to encounter
Journeyed to the far distant village of that story of old
To hear for himself, the legend that was being told

Encountering numerous hardships on the way
Our hero reached his goal following many a day
The villagers welcomed him amongst their midst
Strangers from the outside world as rare as a total eclipse

Eager to know of his enquire
Brought instant fear to their eye
With great trepidation waved direction he should make
Couched with warnings of the dangers ahead that he would undertake

The headman relayed of the few who had dared in the centuries gone by
Not one had returned to tell of their try
Our hero's senses now heightened by the chief's words of importune
Eagerly sets forth to seek his goal and fortune

With fresh provisions, soon left the village far behind
Deeper into forest he made his way, the path was not kind
The terrain became unyielding with tangled bracken
Forced his way through dense thicket to slacken

All the while, perpetual rain soaked his very being
His foot slipping with every step leading
Resting only where it would appear safe within
Slithering snakes slid by, insects bit deep into his skin

Wild animals at night held back by a flickering flame
Not knowing what or how close they drew or came
Onwards he trampled, bleeding, drenched, determined to surmount
Days and nights passed, too many to count

Weary with hunger, overwhelming tiredness, days without sleep
Weaker and weaker, his being fell into complete deplete
Struggling and tripping at every step he took
Each foot dragging, making ridges along his route

Fever ultimately struck his frail emaciated body
For days, he lay upon a small dry patch of mossy boggy
In and out of consciousness, his malady raged
Barely alive, saved by dripping dew drops overflowing upon his face

Finally, the fever broke and soon our hero slowly awoke
Surveyed his situation, condition and current yoke
Sustenance his major task, dug for grubs, found juicy berries
Gradually, our hero's strength returned, insect bites free from scabies

Determined to press on to seek the legendary twin peaks
He trudged on, the journey continued, went into weeks
Slowly, a change in terrain began to be seen
The rain forest eased into deciduous green

Relief from the damp and wet surrounds was a dream
Long dry days followed, a few light showers in between
Our hero foraged for edible fare from bush and tree
Sleeping on high bough, away from water holes where wild life roamed free

Overhead, the forest continued as an impenetrable canopy
Sunlight unable to penetrate through the densely knitted trees
Though getting weaker, further days were spent upon his heroic journey
Suddenly, the thick forest cleared to an open plain luxuriantly lush and turfy

There before him, still many miles away, our hero saw his long sought quest
The quest that was of folklore tale with no one alive to attest
Two colossal mountainous twin peaks of equal breadth and height
Rising from a ring of protective forest dense and bright

The walls of each peak gave an appearance of being smooth and vertical
Culminating with table top summits, green foliage atop plainly visible
Even from his weakened state, our hero's joy was complete
The final proof of twin peak lore was real, the myth now truly beat

With renewed vitality and strength of mind, our hero treks across the plain
A few hours passed, reached the twin peaks protective forest domain
This proved to be even more dense than the first previously encountered
Slowly, arduously, cut through tangled vines and bracken, never floundered

Knowing his prize, his goal was so near
Kept his spirit high, his mind clear
Every part of his body was alert, alive
At the joy, the conquest he was soon to derive

At last, emerging from the forest edge, looked up, our hero shuddered
Hundreds of feet of sheer perpendicular grey granite wall, devoid of rugged
A shiver went up and down his spine
Thinking of the hardships endured to reach this very shrine

To prove a legend so lost in the annuls of time past
Surveyed his next tumultuous task
There were no climbing footholds to be seen
Nothing else to help that he could glean

Impossible to ascend this sheer forbidding grail
When his strength was spent and body so frail
Knowing too, he could never return home
This place, this place, will prove to be his tomb

Our hero knew defeat when standing there
His spirit heaved and left him bare
But wait, as his soul left his body and arose high into the air
A strange birdlike creature swept by, squawking that he had won his dare

No one he thought, as he drew his last breath, would ever know of his heroic feat
Of his lone venture and triumphant defeat
And yet, somehow, his story, his tale above has passed on by unknown speak
Of a traveler, a hero who fought his way to the legendary magical Twin Peaks


Written at Richmond Hill, Ontario - 21st August 2017