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 Contemporary poetry by Dan Donlan


Once upon a time a story written about a Princess kissing a toad.
The toad would then turn into a Prince. Obviously written for girls ,
or so it seems,for the toad turned into a Prince and not a Princess.
Children , boys and girls all over the world were kissing their pet toads.
Irony being, mostly boys were the ones who had toads as pets, those
who were kissing their pet toads the most were disappointed. Their
toads were turning into Bull Frogs. No longer did children trust stories
written by adults. This is  the reason children do not mind adults. The
boy version written in the bad boy closet of Ms. Nuance's class.

It was most often always foggy in Foggy valley found just below and under Shadow
Mountain creek, where morning would begin in an icy mist, the mist first appearing on the Grey
muddy banks above and beyond the site of the old Oaken Bridge renamed in time,
"The Bridge that leads to Nowhere's" and for simplicity "No Name Bridge". This is where
the biggest and best jumping toads hid, the largest becoming  Bull Frogs and the smallest
refereed to as Tadpoles. For the villagers the Oaken Bridge had no name. So using adult
logic it was called many names. Most often called, "Foggy Mountain Bridge". If you have
followed this so far you are far ahead of me in the story. One adult called the poem prose
whatever that is?

Children were told it was dangerous and to stay away from below Shadow Mountain. Everyone
knows how children mind adults and this was hard to do as Bullfrogs were often croaking.
A mountain Lion or two were prowling and snarling and some said there were black Panthers
hiding in the woods. Always following you you could see the eyes but never really the Panther.
This is the fictional part of the prose. There is no proof there are Panthers in the northwest near
Foggy Mountain bridge. Often it is so foggy one cannot see the end of the bridge. Therefore leading
to imagination and the unknown.

Once there appeared the head of a twenty foot python snake. Seen only by one adult and it slithered
back in the slime. Children are skeptics, who could have measured the snake? Children were
told to stay away from Shadow Mountain Foggy Mountain No Name Oaken Bridge for on a distant
shore beyond the fog were giant monsters carrying heavy weapons and whose special diet was
children and local dogs. It was a favorite bedtime story told by adults. Most children were afraid but
there is always one, in this case three, Little Brent who was nine going on ten, Ryan six but not afraid
of anything or expected to live beyond the age of seven. Who eventually played semipro hockey for the
Ravens. Older sister Kelsey with the impish blue sad eyes they called Sis. Who would later work
at Disneyworld and loved animals and her goal in life was to protect her brothers.

One day their dog Holmes crossed the bridge and was lost. The next day the three adventurers, as
well as Brent's Fenwick bamboo fishing rod, a bucket of slimy worms and a recently captured Bullfrog
named, "Warts" were missing. All week the villagers were gathering up an Army to find them. Armed with
pitchforks, women with frying pans and it was little league sign up week so the children had baseball bats.
It was the week to gather up crops. They had to wait for the main force to return from the fields. The tiny
township named, "Blessed by Angels", had also to wait for the Preacher who also worked in the field.

Not only that the next day was Sunday a day of worship. All were gathered at the Blessed by Angels Church
when outside they heard a rumble of noise. Well actually a dog barking. It was Holmes and his tail was wagging.
This was a good sign. In the distance could be heard other dogs barking. Parents and children singing Christian
songs and laughter. The children were bringing home with them neighbors from, "Devils Den", across the river.
The moral of the story, as all stories must have morals. If you try and understand the other sides point of view,
Crossing the bridges not blinded by the unknown, your quiet village well soon become overcrowded with illegal
immigrants and barking dogs.

I wrote my first poems and prose in the first grade in the Bad Boys closet in Ms. Nuanes class, made up mostly
of favored girls. I was given a "D-" and threatened to be held back. The girls all were given "A+". She wanted
to hold me back because I took my pet Bullfrog, "Warts" to her class. My dog Barney sat outside the window. He
would not stay home. At Mom's insistence and a raised fist she was happy to pass me on. The bad news for her
when she became Science teacher and the girls dissected frogs I was appalled. I don't hold a grudge. I put worms,
several garden snakes and cockroaches in the end of week good conduct for girls box for the chosen girl to open.
In it was bracelets and trinklets and one chocotate candy bar. I ate the chocolate bar and left a note saying guess
who? I was already in the closet when I heard the screams.

 






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