De Felly Frog

Image art by John Muzzo

NOW, der be stories dat be tol’ for entertainment

an’ der be stories dat be tol’ for show

an’ der be stories dat be tol’ dat change a man

an’ lif' his heart or bring it low

Now der stories dat you's forget's about's as soon as dey are told

An’ der’ be stories dat never leaves ya', growin' wich ya’ till yar' old

Dey grab's a hold’s of your liver dey takes ya’ by de’ neck

dey touch ya’ in your innermost becomes yor secret or yor pet

Dey trow's a light out der before ya’, des illuminate's de’ past

dey makes de’ speedy slower, an’ dey makes de’ slower's fast

Dey bring's a balance to your life dey trow's it out of whack

dey makes ya’ all da’ wiser and’ de’ leave's ya’ split an’ cracked

An’ if dat crack of mind an’ heart becomes a window to da' Lord

a higher inspiration comes in which His Love do shor' nuff pour

So let me become a channel, a river, or a stream,

an’ speak dis story here before's ya’:

Come on in to dis here dream. . . . .

I call's it :

Mukhi and the Trip to Nowhere?

or,

De Story of De Felly Frog . . .

Now!

One day de’ Felly Frog was woozy as he wen' upon his way

Fo' he did na have no money an’ no place fo' him to stay

O' he had sadness, he had troubles, as he walked his Felly shoes

As he wen' up to the rabbit an’ he moaned his Felly blues

Now da’ rabbit said, "Oh Felly Frog, why do you moan an’ wail?

Why do you pour dese troubles pon' me, why do you tell me dese sad tales?

"For in dis' world der's always troubles,

dey's sometimes ones, an’ dey's sometimes two's

I'se never heard no stories bout's da’ life someone's don't sometimes lose

"I never heard no tales bout's livin', no stories sportin' times

dat der ain't be tears a' fallin,' or no heart'z be breakin' rhymes

"Why ain't no livin' without dyin' Felly, ain't no happiness at all

Why, if you be goin' up a mountain, you oft be sure you gonna’ fall

"Why tain't no arguments worth winnin' dat someone aina' gonna lose

Tain't no love songs dat dey be singin' if dey never hoid’ the blues

"So Felly don’t you be complainin' as if dat's Truth you'se spoutin' here

for dis’ ain't no tea I'm servin' you dat ain’t full of grace an’ cheer

"Now get you gone, be on your way an’ get on down dat road

Pick up your lips an’ smile and lay down dat heavy load"

Now, De Felly, he just shook his haid an’ he waggled his ten toes

an’ he thanked dat old Brer Rabbit for de’ tings dat rabbit knowz

For de’ Felly he don’ seen a light down de’ end dat woozy way

an’ he know dat he could go out now into the world and play

So the Felly wen’ off struttin' an’ a shakin' all his stuff

But it just plain seem'd of happiness he cud’ na' get enuf

Fo' no matter how he tried an’ tried to make it seem alright

Da Felly done fel sumpin’ else tryin’ to make it to de' light

He oft felt sorrow all within him, an’ he saw sadness all aroun'

An' it sometimes seem'd about his mouf he kinda’ wore a frown

He tought’ bout whad dat rabbit tol' im’ an’ how jus’ plain true it sur' nuff be

But de Felly cud’ na' find a way to jus' let hisself be free

But den, one day out in de’ grasses jus' beside's a litl' lake

de Felly fel hisself a’ bein' watch'd an’ das wen’ he met da' snake

Now de’ Felly he don shur' nuff know'd dat a snake be trouble shur'

But der plain was sumpin' bout dis here one dat made de Felly feel secure

So de’ Felly fel’ to thinkin' an' considr'n all his fate

But his heart id’ jus' was pumpin' an’ his mind jus' had to state

Dat dis’ plain jus' cud na be a feelin' dat cud in any way be true

Fo der’ canna’ be no harmony twixt ma’ Felly self an' you

But dat snake, he was so charmin', so calm, an’ so sincere

Dat de’ Felly fel' his froggy heart lay down its load of fear

He jus' made all his learnin' a beginnin' wrongful lie

An’ of de’ snake he spectfully an' sincerely did inquire . . .

"Whad’ be your name, you muscle, you eel of land an’ fate?

Wid dose eyes that seem so cold an’ hard, your name I beg you state"

Now dose snake eyes dey jus’ blinked slowly an' den’ dat tail it did unwind'

An’ a voice dat was all kindly did break thru an’ said dese lines:

"Snoozy Blue Snake is my appellation (course it somhow seem'd ta' rime)

An’ it shur' nuff seems that everyting done come to me in time

"I jus’ laze here in dis meadow soakin’ sun an’ layin' low

While al roun' me de’ whol' livin’ world does shake an’ shimmy go

"Sometimes squirmin', sometimes squishin', sometimes rollin' on da floor,

sometimes jumpin', sometimes hoppin', sometimes flyin' out da’ door

"I'se seen all dese comes an’ goin's, all dose 'By now,' 'How de’ do's,

dat I jus’ cain't for da’ life's of me's see's whats der is to lose

"So I'se jus’ content's to be's myself, in soulful singularity,

an’ in dat’ choiceless moments livin’, Lord, I'se shur nuff's do’s feel's free."

Now dat’ snake, he was so restful, so still, so slow, so calm

Dat de’ Felly fel’ his Froggy skin as if rubbed by healin' balm

His muscles seemed to loosin’, dose Froggy toes dey did uncurl

an’ all his fretful thinkin' fell away into a blissful whirl . . .

An’ den, jus at dat moment, when da’ Snake had had his way

He raised up in his strikin’ pose, de Felly for to slay

But a glimpse of skin, a flash of light, a tremble in de’ grass,

da’ Froggy jumped, de' Snake he struck, Ol' Felly mos' loss his ass

But he hopped away, not knowin', surely, what had nearly jus’ transpired

Put some hoppin' distance twixt dat Snake an’ him, as if der was a fire

An’ as he jumped on through da’ grasses, sometimes lef,' an’ sometimes right

da’ strangest ting he'd ever seen was movin' into sight

It was shiny, it was glowin', it was sparkin' ups an’ downs,

it was furry, it had ticklie's an’ it wore both laugh an’ frown

An’ every way it seemed to be, it also seemed to not,

an’ you cud’ na’ quite plain catch it, smell it, much less cook it in a pot

But midst all this celebration dat’ was followin’ in its midst,

dis’ conundrumed thing did stop somehow an’ to the Felly did say dis:

"Mr. Froggy smooth skin, with bulgin’ eyes up on your haid,

don' you see here wat's you'se up's to

or how close you'se be's, to bein' dead?

"Dat ol’ snake, it had you baffled, had you tied up in a bow

was puttin' salt an’ pepper on your haid, was bout's to bring's you low

It had's you'se so mixed up dere, a listenen' to its tale

dat’ you'se cud na' hear's your own heart's tellin' you

"Mr. Froggy you'se best bail "

"Well thank you wen' dat Froggy an’ Bless you he den’ said

You saved my life for certain, without you, surely I'se be daid

I'se be frog meat in a skillet, frog legs in de’ pan

dem ol' frog legs de’s be everywhere's cept's for bein's where I is am

You knows, I'se comes across a rabbit an’ I'se comes across a snake

but of’s yourself I surely don't know what's der’ is to make

I still don’ know for certain how's I'se come's to scapin' free

cept's for dat blessin' of your sparklin' self done takes a shine to me"

Now all da’ while dat’ Froggy talkin' dat’ ting was sittin' still

but wen’ da’ Froggy said dese las' words, it started movin' if you will

It started flippin' an’ a shakin' an’ a runnin' in a groove

an’ den’ it jus' plain stuttered an’ its mouf’ did bust dis move:

"WHOOOOWE ain’ we prejudicial an’ selfish for to boot

nex' ting you sure be tellin' me is where we stash da’ loot!

Now I ain' stealin' from other anybody to make no other anybody rich

an’ I ain’ pushin' one lil' froggy up an’ out, to put dat snake down in a ditch

Dat snake, he was jus’ snakin', an’ you was froggyin' your best

an’ I'se jus comes rollin' longs here, an’ now you'se tells me you'se been blest?

You see's I'se omniprejudicial, course dat’ mean's nothin' here at all

cept's whatever side you're takin' is a view dat's one side small

Now dat’ ol snake, he had his reasons, his causes an’ desires

an’ now he ain' got no dinner since what is, has jus' transpired

Now, who's to say dat snake was mean or bad down to de’ bone

Only a nitwit flapjack cracker haid who never lef’' his home

I ain' in favor's of you Froggy, an’ I ain' got nothin' gainst da' snake

but it always seems wherever I go, strange things of fate I make

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

NOW . . . you may ask,

'What the heck is this story all about?

​

Well, if ya’ took the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, an’ Aesop’s fables and mixed them up in

a hearty soup, spiced it with the essence of fairytale and took a spoon of 'singin' soul

to taste it with dat would be “De Felly Frog.”

Consider it a modern-day, cross-cultural, omni-religious epic,

written in rhythmic, musical jive.

It tells the story of a frog (De Felly) who wanders through the deep forests of life,

and we accompany him as he discovers complex challenges and exquisite teachers

in the many characters and situations he encounters.

Some you will recognize, and some are pure fantasy,

(a most entertaining form of truth),

but every one of them presents an archetype and a principle.

De Felly gains wisdom from everyone.

But, even so, he eventually finds himself at a dead end,

not sure what to do in a critical moment,

as the knowledge and principles he has learned do not lead beyond his dilemma,

a choice between equally un-doable alternatives.

At this point, he meets the Maha Mama Mukhi and the Papa Ou Mau Mau,

'Papa Ou' for short,

who bring him the Transcendental Wisdom of life

(beyond right and wrong and good and evil)

It is a story for all ages that children, adolescents, and adults can enjoy.