The [Epic] Battle of Locke Lake

[For a bonus assignment in English class, we had the option of writing a 40-line epic poem. The resulting poem is shown here, and I think I'll try another sometime soon.]

The sun shone long on a scene,
Which the earth has seen but once,
That shall pass again no more; may the guidance
Of the divine Muses in the heavens from
Whence the sun was born come to my aid
As I speak this fateful tale. Two competitors
Stood out on the floating raft, brandishing
Deadly Fate in their hands: wooden pokers sharp
As the prick of a quill, with minds as keen—
The heavenly rays glinted off the frothing foam
Of the Lake that poured itself around the raft
With the wrath of a thrice-cursed sleeping puppy.
And, lo! the fighters faced each other, knowing that
The victor of this fated swordfight must with
Valiant arm push the other into the murky lake
Of sand and weeds. Locking eyes, blue to blue,
They felt their friendship turn to dust and float
To the floor of the deep, to be crawled over by
The bottom-dwelling slug and snail of the seas;
For just as there is no place for George Bush
At an English language convention,
Nullus amicitiae in bello locus est:
There is no place for friendship in war.
Swift as the falcon sighting its prey,
He struck out first. She leapt to the side
With the speed of a rattlesnake; the initial
Blow passed, they circled each other at the edge
Of their platform, water leaping from its bounds
To snap and spit at their ankles. Suddenly, their
Swords met at once, and with a great crack
The wood was slashed from the tip of her poker,
His was split with jagged edge in two—
Quickly now they ducked and parried,
One shoulder stabbed, another hand sliced,
And with their injuries the formidable foes
Persisted in their quests for everlasting glory.
Now, with a great cry, she pushed forward
And struck; the fatal blow was to the stomach,
A deadly wound. The hero stood defeated;
Once more he raised his eyes to heaven,
And, bowing to his opponent, leapt
Down into six feet of water and swirling mud.