I heard a sad ‘meow’ in the woods near my house
And ran off to see where it led
To my wondrous surprise, I encountered a cat
With a sparkly horn on its head.
Why do you cry, cat? You ought to be glad.
Aren’t you pleased you’ve got such a nice horn?
“No, I am not,” mewed the unicorn cat
I used to be unicorn full
With muscular legs and a glittery mane
And a tail of silver and gold.”
What happened then, cat? You must have transformed.
Were you cursed? Were you punished? Bewitched?
“I’d just learned to fly,” moaned the unicorn cat
“‘Twas the very first time that I flew.
“Fly near to the rainbow,” my mother had said
“But never, don’t ever, fly through.”
What happened then, cat? Did you go very high?
Or get blown by tumultuous wind?
“I flew to the rainbow as quick as I could,”
Said the cat with its mythical prong
“I thought rainbows were silent, but this one was not
It broke into a beautiful song.
Its voice was enchanting; it pierced through my heart
And turned all my muscles to glue
The song had two words, and they echoed like bells:
“Fly through!” sang the rainbow. “Fly through!”
What happened then, cat? Did you manage to flee?
Did the rainbow keep singing its song?
“I pictured my mother: her silver-white face
Her voice saying: Never go through…
But her image went *poof * and then all I could see
Was red, orange, yellow, green, blue.
I passed through the rainbow; the feeling was bliss
The world was a colorful blur
And when I arrived on the arc’s other side
I was tiny and covered in fur.”
What happened then, cat? Did you tumble and fall?
How is it now you’re alive?
“The woods broke my fall, and I landed on leaves
And now all I do is meow
I want to find meaning and joy as a cat
But I’ve honestly no idea how.”
Do you want to be mine? You would be a good pet
I could feed you and polish your horn.
“That won’t work,” said the cat
“I’m a unicorn, see? I must live my life in the sky
I have to be magical, wondrous, and free
But I don’t even think I can fly.”
Have you tried or attempted? Perhaps you still can
With the magic that’s found in your horn
The cat scrunched its face, and made low growling sounds
The strangest I ever have heard
It managed to summon its magic, I guess
‘Cause it flew to the sky like a bird!
It had rained hard that morning, and then there’d been sun
So there now was a rainbow of course
I saw the small kitten fly straight through the red
And I thought it’d emerge as a horse!
Instead it came out as the cat that it was
And so, for a sec, I was sad
It’s no magical horse with a glittering mane
But hey, for a cat, it’s not bad.
