The Frog Treatment Poem by Raymond Farrell

We're being treated
Like a bunch of frogs
First, we sat
On our lily pads
In our relatively pristine pond
Plenty of bugs to eat
No apparent hazards
Theatening our lives
The water was clear
The air was pure
When you took a deep breath
You felt energetic and alive
The accepted norms of behavior
Were something everyone agreed on
We all had something meaningful to do
But slowly someone
Turned up the heat a bit
Gradually over time
There seemed to be
Less available things to do
Gainful employment was scarcer
Bugs slowly got more expensive
And lily pads!
Well, you could hardly afford to buy one
Now the water is dirty
And getting scarcer
And the air is barely fit to breathe
Things have got a lot warmer
At times it feels boiling hot
Now we feel overwhelmed
Not sure what to do
Far too weak to jump out
And nowhere to jump to anyway
Some keep shedding clothes
In an effort to remain cool
Some just talk about the good old days
Others are in denial
But before you know it
We'll all be boiled to death
Meanwhile, they just keep
Gradually
Turning up the heat.