This story I will tell

Is sure to bring a tear.

If you lived forever,

No sadder will you hear.

 

Five hundred years ago,

In a place far away,

Small Juanita was born

Her fate was sealed that day.

 

She was a pretty girl,

Her eyes were large and brown,

She was adored by all,

Who lived in her small town.

 

Juanita grew in charm,

Each and every day,

One day her mother said,

Now you must go away.

 

Tears came into her eyes

She kissed her family

And set off on the path

To set her people free.

 

Fire gods were angry

Up in the mountains high.

They would destroy the town

And all in it would die.

 

Juanita’s bravery

Would be the town’s last hope.

She must appease the gods.

If only she could cope.

 

One hundred sixty miles,

The summit she must seek.

Tired, cold and hungry,

She reached the highest peak.

 

She knelt upon her mat.

And looked up at the sky.

She prayed to all the gods

That none would have to die.

 

Fire on the mountain

Then stopped its mighty roar.

Molten red hot lava

Dried up and flowed no more.

 

Juanita thanked the gods

For listening to her pleas.

Her sacrifice was great

As she knew it must be.

 

She could never return

To her beloved town.

She was cold and tired.

On her mat she lay down.

 

So then she closed her eyes

On that tall mountain peak.

Never more to wake up

From her deep frozen sleep.

 

Many years later men

Climbing the mountain high

Saw Juanita sleeping

Surrounded by blue sky.

 

They carried her body.

Down from the mountain dome.

Finally, at long last,

Juanita had come home.

 

(Note: The photo of Juanita is a stock photo because photography was not allowed in the museum where her mummy is displayed.)