Frogs

Posted on by Reena Saxena

An impeccable profile
-analytical at the core
-liberal just enough to include others’ quotes
to support your views…

A closer look reveals
feet sunk in the depths of a well
where the frogs know no other language but their own

They croak, they malign, they vilify, they demonise
an outside voice
They never know what the world is made of other than the stench they float in

I want to know what divides your demeanour
There is always another one walking beside you

Maybe a frog struggling to validate its existence
But should it always ride on your shoulder
And push your feet deep, deeper down in the cesspool…

W3 Prompt #207

The borrowed line (in italics) are by T.S.Eliot in The WasteLand.

32 thoughts on “Frogs”

  2. “Maybe a frog struggling to validate its existence, but should it always ride on your shoulder, and push your feet deep, deeper down in the cesspool….” Reena, those final lines of your poem really pack a wallop. I think at some point we all feel a need to validate our existence, but at what price? I appreciate the provocative nature of your writing, not just in this poem, but in all your work. Well done!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  3. Reena, this makes me think about how people can seem big and smart but still feel stuck inside, like “feet sunk in the depths of a well” feels true to me.

    Now I’m wondering if that other voice beside us is something we carry, even when we don’t want to.

    ~David

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. Excellent, Reena. You are simply incomparable, Reena.

    One can’t help those who are narrow-minded and cling to their own limited perspective, like the frogs in the well.

    ‘Maybe a frog struggling to validate its existence
    But should it always ride on your shoulder
    And push your feet deep, deeper down in the cesspool…’ very pertinent question.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  5. Wow! You’ve given me a lot to think about!

    “the frogs know no other language but their own” — when we surround ourselves only with frogs, we are in such danger.

    Great poem.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. Great biting critique of echo chambers Reena and the way they can swallow even the most analytical minds. You ask a frightening question: Are we leading our lives, or is the ‘frog’ on our shoulder steering us into the mud? 🙌

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. a frog upon one’s shoulder is something i need to contemplate… living in a well filled with stench… a talkative demonized croaking friend who has nothing nice to say about anything…. and a liberal to boot… usually the frogs i’ve approached are a wee bit smaller more passive and a delight to hear their croaking near the ponds as i pass …. now the huge bullfrogs are a fright i cannot sit beside and chat… their deep croak echoes and taunts my dreams…. i can tell i am going to be feeling the weight of this creature not so faire upon my shoulder…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment