The Symbol Of My Clan Is The Frog, But Why? Poem by RIC BASTASA

it must be because it is tailless,
aquatic,
semiaquatic,
or terrestrial amphibians
a smooth moist skin,
webbed feet,
and long hind legs adapted for leaping.

or is it because it is wedge-shaped
and can very well
be taken as a
horny prominence in the sole of a horse's hoof

did my ancestors mean
a loop fastened to a
to hold a tool
a weapon?

what if they hinted on
an ornamental looped braid
or
cord with a button
or knot for
fastening the front of a garment?

well, a frog can also be understood as a
device on intersecting railroad tracks
that permits wheels to cross the junction

or a spiked or perforated
device used to support
stems in a flower arrangement

or the common nut of a violin bow

or the hoarseness
of voices
the phlegm
in our throats

or something so disparaging
for one who looks
like French,


you see, in our reunion
today
with the rest of the clan members
they all arrive at
one conclusion,

why did our ancestors
choose the frog
of all the creatures
in the river
nearby
where they once thrived and lived?

i still suspect
it was meant for

survival

the ability to live in both worlds of
land
and water

because in truth
they were once doves
escaping
from a very far island
to free themselves
from the snakes
and crocodiles
and dragons


and they were
almost annihilated
in the air
there

oh! how they hated
the fall
from the air
oh! how they disliked
air since then

now, they have
evolved
into frogs, and i feel like
i am
a very interesting tadpole
since then