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Ode to Barbaro

(With apologies to Longfellow, Noyes, et al)

Listen, my children,

As I speak quite slow

So that you may know the legend

Of the great colt, Barbaro

Mighty, majestic, expertly pedigreed

He was among the mightiest

Of well-bred racing steed

Ali floated like a swallowtail

Stung like a honey bee

But that four-legged 4-year-old

Had the wings of Mercury

Tlot, tlot, tlot, tlot

Barbaro came riding

Riding, riding

Barbaro came riding

Up to the starting gate

You'd be hard-pressed

Indeed, you would

To find a horse

Could do as good

As Barbaro in his prime

But little did we know back then

He was running out of time

As Prado journeyed

O'er hill and dale

Atop this noble steed

They were conjoined as twins that day

Of this, most folks agreed

For soothe, tis a Shakespearean tale

More tragic than comedic

It was the shot heard 'round the world

When horse vets interceded

On Holy Bull

And Pimlico

What rhymes with

Churchill Downs?

O, never mind

Wherever he went

Nobody ever frowned

Gulfstream Park

Was not a lark

That colt did best he could

And proved it

So the legend goes

As Elkton knew he would

At Delaware Park

And at Derby Day

The FOBs all cheered

Until that fateful day

In his last race

When the Fates had interfered

Tlot, tlot, tlot, tlot

Barbaro quit riding

Riding, riding

Barbaro quit riding

And the sadness overwhelmed

When he was in a mortal state

That Barbaro would rush the gate

Our hearts leapt out our chests

One race after another

He gave his personal best

A great athlete to be sure

But for that leg the only cure

Was what surgeries could not ensure

So, they had to put him down

A colt like that is rare, they say

Which explained the great attraction

For the horse known 'round the world

And who gave such satisfaction

This colt, they said,

Could not be beat

And it certainly was true

Except that destiny called him out

And left us more than blue

Tlot, tlot, tlot, tlot

Barbaro went riding,

Riding, riding

Barbaro went riding

Up to Heaven's gate

If all dogs go to Heaven

And even cats and armadillos

Then we can all sleep well tonight

Knowing Barbaro

Rests on Heaven's pillows

Rhonda Chriss Lokeman (lokeman@kcstar.com) is a columnist for the Kansas City Star.

To find out more about Rhonda Chriss Lokeman, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.