Once upon a time,

No.

Let’s flash forward.

This is the real story.

 

North China constantly

Fighting,

Fighting for glory,

Against the clan,

The infamous fam,

The HUNS.

 

The Huns will return,

With more force,

And with more burn.

 

Emperor Chin says

Prep a war,

Record the lore,

Two teams,

One of Men and one of Women,

Will compete.

Whoever wins,

Will get a special pin,

And a special honorary medal,

To serve in the Army - the Rose Petal,

Which will then defeat the Huns.

 

“The Women serving?” Fa says,

“Oh Mulan,

“I won’t get rest.”

“No, poor Father,

Your leg can’t hold any weight,

I must go.

You cannot serve,

So let me flow,

Like a Tsunami,

Leading the army

Upon the enemy.”

 

Fa decided to agree,

Given his defense training for her,

He set Mulan free.

 

So, Mulan went.

To the Women’s Army Camp.

Other Women,

Ages from 17 - 25,

Attended for the first time.

Most of them shy,

Ridiculed by others,

That they cannot fight,

That they are Women after all,

Only supposed to Cook,

Sew,

And Clean the house, Right?

 

“No”, says Mulan,

We will show the Men’s army,

We will show the rest of the world,

That Women can serve,

Women can fight for the country,

We can save our Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers,

And our King from disaster.

We are atypical,

Not the traditional.

 

Her voice boomed throughout the field,

Courage gradually being revealed,

Mulan was then chosen MVP,

As the Women’s hearts filled with glee.

And thus she was Captain,

Of the Women’s team.

Over the next few days,

The team worked hard-

Climbing,

Jumping,

Arrow shooting,

Fencing,

And more.

 

While the Women’s team prepare for the win,

The men believed those Women can’t win the pin,

The haughty, young men prepped too,

But expecting to win easily,

Over the Women’s low value.

 

Competition Day began.

Rules stated that whichever team can score the highest,

On all 5 events -

Track,

Arrow Shooting,

Fencing,

Tower Climbing,

And Muscular strength,

They will be the brightest,

Winning the Prizes,

Serving in the Rose Petal Army,

To defeat the Huns’ Army.

 

The First event - Track.

The Men started first,

Feeling confidence,

Looking at the other team,

With abhorrence.

Next, the Women’s Army competed.

And with what surprise everyone’s faces held!

Compared to the 520 points earned in Track by the Men’s Army,

The Women’s Army outcompeted with a total of 700 points!

Mulan specifically scored the highest in the Women’s Army,

Giving a grin to alarming faces,

Which were set in pure disbelief.

 

The Second Event - Arrow Shooting.

The men, underestimating the Women,

Worked even harder with all superhuman strength,

Earning 900 points, which is under the max amount, 1000 points.

“Beat that!” the Captain of the Men’s Army said to Mulan.

Mulan did not get discouraged.

The Women fought,

Arrow by arrow,

Slicing through the target,

Center by Center by Center,

“Whoosh! Whoosh!”

The sounds caught everyone’s attention,

People started to view Women differently,

Ones who can be strong, in and out.

“1000 points!!!” Yelled the referee.

 

The Women cheered,

Feeling elated,

Never to be mistakened.

2 more events occurred,

The winners - the Women’s Army.

 

Last event - Muscular strength.

This was the most intense.

The Women felt more sweat,

The men felt no dread.

This was the men’s sphere.

Some Women were feeling fear.

 

Points were almost close-

The Men’s Army achieving 980 points,

The Women’s score so far - 920.

The last competitor had to work her toughest,

With a max of two tries given,

Mulan could only do 30 points on the first try.

Her strength was draining,

Her body straining.

Everyone looked at her in pity,

Almost falling on her knees,

“Can I do it? Oh, Fa” She thought.

What she heard was this:

“Mulan! Mulan! Mulan!”

The crowd was cheering for her,

Even the Men’s Army was cheering for her.

This was a unique moment in history,

People finally realizing the worth of a Woman.

Mulan, encouraged,

fought with her might,

Finally reaching her goal,

1000 points total for her team!

 

Everyone cheers,

Victory is here,

The pin and the medal belongs,

To the Women’s Army.

The Men’s Army congratulated,

The Emperor did too,

Proud of Mulan,

The heroic woman.

 

She is the Tsunami,

Wiping out old notions,

Defeating the Huns,

Living a devoted life

To the country,

Her people.

No need of marriage,

She is strong on her own.

After all, she’s the Tsunami,

A strong force for the World.