Page 14 - January 2021

Home Again

Marvin R. Hiemstra

Marvin R. Hiemstra is a Poet, Humorist, Critic, and
Entertainer from San Francisco, California

Age three I explored our Iowa farm house yard
lined with kind maples. A quarter size
chartreuse frog dropped on my wrist, gave me
a knowing look, and a sotto voce “Croak!”

That instant I became an essential part

of Everything with a italic capital E.
I had bonded with another intrepid survivor.
Our chats were frequent and comforting.

I learned much later that tiny frog had evolved
to live at the top of thirteen foot tall
prairie grass (farmers ploughed it all under)
so frog and family climbed into the trees.

Satan’s Sweetie Pies bought a dozen farms
for an Atomic Energy Plant when, SURPRISE,
those slow as molasses 10 below zero
thoughtful Iowans actually pulled the plug.

Plan was zapped: Iowa sanity won.
A Prairie Preserve near Prairie City
made sense. Seeds were collected.
20 Bison took a charter flight from Montana.

This very moment: National Wildlife Refuge
twenty miles from where I hatched you can
find those tiny chartreuse frogs once again
up in the prairie grass crowns sound asleep.

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litterateur 4 january 2021