*It's an age old tradition in the land of the great lakes, A phase to complete if one wishes to join The ranks of the greats,*
*Chief, priest or army general you name it, One had to complete it for his status And to in turn earn his own chorus,*
*Gisa was ready Never been That ready,*
*Bow on his back and sword in hand, He looked as stern as his pops As he was avoiding his mom's Concerned gaze,*
*If he was nervous he didn't let it show, To be the bravest no sweat could flow On his send off to show what legends Are made of,*
*No time for chit chats Or to kick it with His lads...*
*Gisa just hit the ground running Bracing the uphill battle he had, And the shoes he had to fill,*
*Starting with his lightning fast gramps Also known as the "Land Mortician", An epithet he'd earned as he'd turn Grass to ash in his wake,*
*A living legend in the village Who still showed flashes Of his former self At 70 years plus,*
*And then, there is his pops A man with the strength Of a thousand men,*
*A fact to which Gisa could attest, Them beatings done sent him 2 steps from hell and back On a daily basis,*
*Yup, his blood the stuff Legends are made of,*
*Yup, Next up is his legacy, To overshadow all those That came before him,*
*Yup, his pop's strength, gramps speed And his mom's iron will guaranteed it,*
*Or so he thought at first But here we are now, Instincts in disarray Thanks to hunger And thirst,*
*4 days since he entered the forest, And he still seen no progress, Still no sign of a leopard Let alone capturing one,*
*He starting to feel hopeless His spirit barely hanging By a thread,*
*Tired of mosquitoes waiting for a feast At the corner of every Branch He wonders if he should turn a new leaf, Call it quits and settle for a stint At the ranch,...*
*Nope, no way in hell he giving up! Bites or blisters he ain't letting up, He's come way too far to not Keep going forward,*
*Plus if he were to fail his brothers Would never let it go,*
*His path to a hero's journey Just getting started.*
![IMG_20200312_230227.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmR2g8pVF1WbcYY75G4ft9xsJ6vZKm7P3NHdTWYyGoY69m/IMG_20200312_230227.jpg) ... Hi all, this is my entry for the inkwell [poetry contest](https://steempeak.com/hive-170798/@theinkwell/thursday-s-poetry-challenge-exploring-legend), hope it's not too late. Sadly, I saw the prompt a bit late plus I'm kind of rusty and I feel the poem where it's supposed to be but oh well, tell me your thoughts on it. Also, I've never written a ballad before, maybe in the future and so decided to go with a free verse.
**PEACE!!**