An Unlikely Father

Po was a panda who lived with his dad 

They ran a place where noodles were rad.

Po liked to play with his action friends

His funny adventures never come to an end.

One day Po was late to work

His dad said, “Come on, in the store you must lurk.”

“Dad,” he said, “I had a dream!

It had to do with noodles it seems!”

His dad said, “Oh great, that means it’s your turn!

Go, go, go, there’s money to earn!

Take the cart and go to the mountain,

The Dragon Festival’s about to begin!”

Po huffed and puffed up those steps

Master Oogway was about to choose who was next. 

Po flew up high in his firey chair

The master chose him?

Hey wait, that’s not fair!

Tigress snarled, foes beware!

Po was gloriously carted away

The people were sure he’d make the enemies pay. 

Po went from there to a training place,

He got to the door: a brave look on his face.

The boards spun around, whirling and swarming,

A sense of failure would soon be forming. 

How will I ever 

Get past all this?

Po thought with food stuffed in his fist,

He shoveled that food

Into his mouth

Maybe he really

Just should head south. 

They’re probably better off if I leave,

Why am I Po?

How come I’m not… Steve?

Little known to Po and all the rest,

A sneaky sleek tiger was beating his chest.

Tai Lung had escaped

His prison at last

Though the rhinos did follow yelling,

“Hey! Not so fast!”

But it was far too late.

The kitty was gone.

“That was so easy.” He said with a yawn.

Back at the training yard,

Things for Po were getting hard.

“I will never quit!” yelled the defeated Po.

“But I think you should, you know?”

Master Shi Fu did not like the fat panda.

“He’s so rude and ugly and has such a bad manner!”

Master Oogway decided to leave,

But before he did: “You must believe!”

Now it’s dinner time for the Furious Five

Their humor has leapt into overdrive.

Po has a mighty good Shi Fu impression,

You should have seen the master’s expression!

Later Po and Shi Fu must fight.

“Why do you want to change me?” 

Po asks, his lips tight.

Then: before it gets too late

Tai Lung decided to change his own fate. 

You see he really wanted

The Dragon Scroll

But it wasn’t his

Not at all, not at all.

Tigress, Mantis, Monkey, Viper, and Crane,

Leapt into action

This battle for which they had trained. 

Meanwhile at the pool of sacred tears,

Po and Master Shi Fu shift the gears.

“Come on, Po! It’s Dumpling time!”

(This poem is getting harder to rhyme.)

The Dumplings soar into the air,

They are here and everywhere. 

Master hits Po with a painful stick

Po tries again the food to lick

But the chopstick stays in the way.

Can Po eat yet?

The answer is: nay.

One dumpling, the last remains,

If the panda wants to eat then he must earn his gain.

Tai Lung can’t find his worthy match,

There’s five warriors here, but where’s the catch?

The bridge will soon lose all the planks 

Tai Lung is surpassing all set Kung Fu ranks.

Po’d better hurry,

Time is running out!

Hurry, Po, hurry!

Your friends need you!

Look, there’s Crane, he’s coming into view. 

The Furious Five are in poor shape

Is Superman himself if he wears no cape?

A petal lands upon the scroll,

Po has it now: he’s made a goal!

Tai Lung now lunges for the village,

He won’t stop until the last home is pillaged

The bunnies are gathered

The noodles are slathered

They all gave up

The battle is done.

Po can’t believe he is his father’s own son.

What’s the secret ingredient?

It all becomes clear!

The secret is yourself,

Oh, Po, never fear!

Hurry now back to the temple

The battle will shortly begin.

Shi Fu and Tai Lung have to fight

To let the rage sink in.

Shi Fu and Tai Lung: once were a delight,

But now things are different,

Shi Fu is repentant.

Tai Lung doesn’t care,

He’s going in for the kill. 

Po then bursts in: his own free will.

He waves the scroll high in the sky.

Tiger says, “Here panda! The scroll there is mine!”

The chase is very much on now,

Various fighting noises emerge

Hiya and kapow.

Tai Lung finally gets to look at the secret

But now that he has it, it seems nothing but cryptic. 

With the crunch of some toes

And the punch of a nose

Po tosses the tiger up and then down

Tai Lung begins to sink into the ground.

“I have one more move!” 

Po’s almost done,

He bends a little finger

And the battle is won.

The unlikely friends came together it seems

To hold the world down by the seams

And not be distraught by the stress and the screams

That threaten to ruin the happiest of scenes

And rupture even the strongest of spleens.

This is a message to each and everyone

That you cannot win

As your own captain

With a crew of just one. 

You need your friends

And they will eventually need you,

Differences will matter

But you guys will see it through.

Look to the Pandas, 

That shine through the night 

Look the Tigers

Who can’t always be right.

Bring in the Vipers

All dance and no bite

Hug tight the Monkeys 

Who knows when to fight. 

Don’t forget about Mantis

Small but mighty

And remember the Cranes

Wise, if not flighty.

We look to our friends now

In times of screens

We wait for the days

When parties don’t mean

Going online

Waving hello through your phone

Spending your nights 

On the couch with Netflix alone. 

Friends may come from the most desolate places

Any shape 

Many faces, races, and cases.

But the thing that connects friends far and wide

Is not who they may seem like

But what shines from inside. 

It's not what they wear

Or where they reside

Again,

We make friends

By the truth that we hide.

Po's father will forever

Be by his side.

(Note: This poem is about the movie Kung Fu Panda! The characters and storyline isn't mine, but the words are. Hope you enjoyed it and watch the movie if you haven't yet. I entered it in this prompt because it goes with the father son relationship of Po and his dad, along with that of his friends. I think it would have worked better with the unlikely friend prompt, but I had another story already submitted for that, which is Kevin Walter Bob John. Check that one too if the title interests you any. The rest of the note is to meet word limits, as it turns out it's not so easy to get a poem past nine hundred words. The last poem I had; the whole last one hundred words were cake cake cake cake... well, you get the point! Lots of delicious bakery items to choose from. While I have you here, let me remind you to check out Avani Gupta, Daryl Gravesande, Avery Mason, and every other person I follow! They're wonderful and would all love the feedback.)