Yale and the Giant
by RG Johnson

Here’s a special tale to tell – a folklore if you will
So compelling is the telling that folks tell about it still

Some say it’s simply fantasy, a fable, even though
There are folks who claim they saw it and will swear that it is so

Have you ever faced a challenge that you felt you could not win?
Or a task you knew was so big it was sure to do you in?

Perhaps it was a ball game or a classroom spelling test
How can we be sure that we will always do our best?

We all have special gifts you see, that make us who we are
The trick is to discover them for they can take us far

Our special gifts will lead us any place we want to go
And like the hero of this story we can conquer any foe

So grab a snack to munch on, hop in your favorite chair
We are headed to the Swiss Alps, turn the page and let’s go there.

*******************

Near a lovely little village, in the heart of Switzerland
There lived a boy named Yale who did yodel loud and grand

His song echoed through the valley, a falsetto strong and bold
Loved by nearly all who heard him, and he was only ten years old!

Now in this land of snow capped mountains sadly one thing was amiss
A mean and gruesome being brought fear and terror to the Swiss

Nearby there lived a giant in a cold and craggy cave
And he didn’t care for Yale or the yodels that he gave

For whenever Yale yodeled it would make the giant flinch
All thirty-seven feet of him, inch by ugly inch

Soon the people there grew frightened, with good reason for their fears
While Yale’s song was truly beautiful, it hurt the giant’s ears

So as Yale went on yodeling, the giant started seething
Turning cranky as a grizzly, or a baby when it’s teething

The townsfolk called a meeting and they each had this to say
“Yale we dearly love your yodels but you have to stop today”

“The giant’s getting angry,” cried the people filled with fright
But Yale could not be bothered, he kept yodeling day and night

They would hear him in the morning then again at half past noon
And on nearly every clear night Yale yodeled with the moon

Well you can just imagine how the giant grim and gruff
Tired of flinching and ear pinching figured he had heard enough

Soon the peaceful countryside erupted with great roars
Every mountain shook with fervor, breaking windows, smashing doors

As the people scrambled madly, and dogs barked in every town
Word spread throughout the valley: “The giant is coming down”

With every thunderous giant step the mountainsides poured shale
Angry, glaring, giant eyes searched everywhere for Yale

And strong men, brave and bold, simply ran about and hid
Too paralyzed with fright to even help a little kid

When the giant hit the valley not a single soul was seen
But a little four foot yodeler to face this monster mean

As the giant rumbled toward him and each footstep rocked the ground
Yale simply cleared his throat and produced that glorious sound

Why of course, it was a yodel, the loudest one that ever was
And it stopped the giant in his tracks and caused his head to buzz

He clapped giant hands on giant ears, dropped down on giant knees
Then Yale yodeled once again, a GIANT one, if you please

Next the giant started shaking, his brow furrowed into creases
When Yale yodeled even louder, he burst in a thousand pieces

Fragments of the former giant rained down on every home
Some claim each piece came back to life as a friendly little gnome

Yale was lifted high on shoulders, every person called his name
The little yodeler of the Swiss Alps would forever live in fame

The story grew to legend, how this nasty fiend was totaled
By the bravest little boy who simply used his gift and yodeled

THE END