The Girl Who Rose to the Occasion

The following story was inspired by a series of events, some real and some imaginary. I dedicate it to a couple of young girls I know, both of them nearly a dozen years old now. One of them is actually a close family member, named Millie. The other, Holly, deserves credit for having provided the rough outline of the plot. If I remember correctly, it was an overcast day in December, back before the pandemic. I was in the mood for rhyming but at a complete loss for a story line. Holly came through, and here’s what I came up with.

I hope this allegory of heroinism inspires children of all ages and genders to stand up and believe in themselves. No one should be afraid to follow their dreams and passions, even it means making up a word like heroinism, which, in the age of proliferating genders and pronouns, really should be in the dictionary anyway.

The Girl Who Rose to the Occasion, an allegory of female heroism

Not long ago, and not far away
A maiden named Molly was making her way
From a long line of sisters and uncles and mothers
It was plainer than day she was not like the others

At six months she read, and at seven she wrote
She was wiser than Solomon, but not one to gloat
She could play the harmonica, and also the harp
Her songs were in tune, but oh my, was she sharp!

A genius, a hero, a prodigy too
And gifted with powers as everyone knew
She could tell you the future by reading the signs
And not only that, she could also read minds

Just bring her a problem that couldn’t be solved
And in seconds that puzzle had neatly dissolved
In ten or twelve years she had not met her match
She buzzed like a hummer than no one could catch

As nimble as anything, strong like an ox
She could blow your front door down and knock off your socks
She also had courage, and knew right from wrong
But where does a hero like Molly belong?

No shortage of powers were at her command
And when Good met with Evil she knew where to stand
Her greatest desire, deep down in her heart
Was to save the whole planet — But where would she start?

The only true foe that could give her a fright
He scowled and growled from a terrible height
Her soft spot, her weakness, her Heel of Achilles
He filled her with terror and gave her the willies

In a thousand-foot tower, this menace, this beast
He pounced on the West and he trounced on the East
A hideous monster obstructing her path
Not to be thwarted by logic or math

Infecting her mind and preventing her magic
Pressing her down in a spiral so tragic
He made her feel helpless and small like an elf
But no one succeeds without knowledge of self

Now to climb the high tower and silence the fiend
Her innermost fears must be carefully screened
His is the voice that says “No, I cannot”
And proving him wrong? That will take quite a lot

He’s active by day, only more so at night
He darkens her dreams and produces a fright
Discouraging words can disable one’s vision
To shipwreck the soul and dispel your ambition

But Molly had courage, and facing her fears
She began up the tower, ignoring the jeers
She listened instead to the voice that said “Go!”
“Yes, you can do it, and this much you know”

Believing means doing, and upward she crept
Though often she stumbled, and sometimes she wept
But her fear of great heights, it would stop her no longer
As the words of the beast sounded wronger and wronger

And when she arrived at the tippity-top
She looked to the bottom, imagined the drop
She saw that she’d done it, she had what it took
And the monster just trembled, his whole body shook

So finally confronting this off-putting creep
She could see he was merely a dwarf from the deep
Though his voice was disturbing, his body was feeble
And made up of nothing but things disagreeable

And so she prevailed, or at least for the present
While pausing to relish all things fine and pleasant
But the fight isn’t over, as anyone knows
The voice can resurface with Cannot’s and No’s

The monster can hide behind shadows and lies
His message, so subtle, a wicked surprise
What’s needed is vigilance, Molly stand strong
You’re a hero to all, as we follow along

Further reading

If you enjoyed this poetic allegory of female heroism, you might also take a look at these other stories and poetry collections.

• The Legend of Rusty the Wagon
• The 12 Ways of Christmas
• The morning is wiser than the evening
• Limericks about Heroes