By the banks of the river
A clan of Green Frogs
Would gather each morning
And sit on some logs.
The mark down their backs
Was a source of much pride
And the Frogs all proclaimed
"We have nothing to hide!

We are croakers supreme,
The bestest by far,
And we cannot be beat
On the banks of Hoohar."

But the Frogs weren't alone
For a clan of Blue Toads
With a mark down their backs
Hopped in from the roads.

They sat on some rocks
Where they sang in disdain
"We are Masters of Song
And our Blue Toad Refrain

Is proof that Green Croakers
Must stay down a drain
And never be heard
By the wind or the rain!"

The Frogs were affronted,
They hopped in a scene
Of Frogs in Frog frenzy
And said, looking mean,

"We Frogs won't admit
To the world or each other
That Toads are our equals,
No sister or brother.

We're Champion Croakers
And we'll make a fuss
To ensure you Blue things
Are put on a bus!"

But the Toads all sang out
"You Frogs are not Blue,
And you cannot sing
Like we Toads - so Boohoo!"

The Frogs were in panic
could this really be so?
Were they less than the Toads?
Then a voice said "No No!

We Greens ARE the tops!
In croaking and hops!
And we'll NEVER bow down
To these Blue Singing Slops!"

The Frogs started croaking
In singles and groups
Hopping in cartwheels
Cavorting in hoops.

They used their sopranos
To make higher notes
Then let rip with profundos
From deep Froggy froates

Til the noise was so noisome
It shook all the trees
And sent shocks and shivers
That made all the fleas

In the den of a badger
Jump up and say "Please,
We know you are Green
And you are all Frogs

But must you make noise
On the top of those logs?
It unnerves our nerves
And confuses our ears
So we want you to stop,
For the next hundred years!"

But the Frogs were excited,
Determined to show
That they, NOT the Toads
Were the 'Champs On The Row'

The sounds from both sides
Upset all the fish
They swam to the surface
And whispered "We wish

You would shut up
We wish you would stop
This unfriendly fracas
It's over the top!"

But neither the Greens
Nor the Blues ever heard
They glared and they stared
And behaved like a herd

Of things without sense
That had no mind at all,
Til an Owl's kindly voice
Rang out "This is all

A thing to be settled
By knowing that you
Have much more in common
Than you think you do."

The words worked a magic
It stopped all the fuss,
The Frogs croaked quietly
"These Blues are like us!"

The Toads all agreed
"We share with the Greens
the same sort of things,
In various scenes.

It's only a matter
of realizing that we
Are all really the same
And must share what we be"

The Owl said no more,
For the Toads and Frogs
Were now sitting together
as Friends on the logs.


Poem (c) Lokutus Prime
Illustrations (c) Léazz