(With an apology to Robert Frost)

A political satire, by Arindam, exclusively for Different Truths.

Walking down the road —
The crooked road, the wicked road,
A poet sang, Ode to the Toad:
A bad toad, a sad toad,
A happy toad, a snappy toad

In this ode, toads are frogs,

Cats are dogs, and pigs are hogs;
For the poet smoked opium,
So, minimum is maximum.

For the frogs in the well
Life’s happy and swell;
The frightened rats forgot to tell
Who’d garland the cat with a bell

The trouble starts
When we throw darts
Of knowledge, then we reach,
Teach and preach:

Who among the frogs is a Prince,
For a Princess’ kiss, here’s mouth-rinse;
Frog-Prince isn’t alcoholic
To make his breath toxic

An identity crisis
Defies fat thesis,
That Ignorance is bliss
Is shattered by a Kiss

In the folktale, a Princess’ wiles
Made frogs walk miles and miles;
They spent on fashion and style
And tried to win her with guile

Now, most of them lost their sleep,
The wells are lonely, dark and deep,
But the frogs have promises to keep,
Though they forgot the tears, they weep

The cats and dogs, and pigs and hogs
Are all educated frogs,
During election they croak
Rabble rousing they stoke

In temples and churches
Votes they purchase
The frogs ring a loud bell
They’ve stories to tell:

How cats and dogs, and pigs and hogs
Are far inferior than Mighty Frogs,
Who rave and rant, and yell and tell,
That now the country is in the well.

Don’t you feel good
That the Frog-Prince stood
With coat and cane
In sun and rain?

It’s not easy for Frog-Prince to campaign
Abstaining from wine and champagne,
When others worked hardly, he toiled hard,
Now, he knows to play the right card.

The Frog-Prince brought a law
Brighter than a shining saw;
And he separated the Mighty Frogs,
From cats and dogs, and pigs and hogs.

“If they don’t have their papers
We will pack them in wrappers
That would be checked and marked;
In detention camps, they’d be parked.

“Mews and barks, and silly grunts
Howls and owls, and stale stunts,
Are so different from the croaks and frogs,
From silly cats and dogs, dirty pigs and hogs.”

The frogs from the well and the frogs from the sea
Together, they dine and wine, and drink green tea,
While the cats and dogs, and pigs and hogs,
Dance to the tune of the Mighty Frogs.

The Frog-Prince didn’t break the law, but bend the rules,
Now, cats and dogs, and pigs and hogs are silly mules,
They sweat, toil and slog like faceless public,
Dear friends, welcome to the Frog Republic.

Photo from the internet