The Fork in the Road to the Stork or the Toad

Old stork’s a good friend

bringing me my next of kin

girl boy scale of ten

joy hope win win

Where goeth cousin toad

hopping round its damp abode

disappearing by the load

croaking as its sky erodes

Every mile that we go

takes us with it in its flow

to the fork in the road

to the stork or the toad

Old stork’s soaring high

with driven gleam in its eye

slinging gifts across the sky

like Santa on a contact high

Hear toad croaking loud

a mating call to do it proud

used to be it drew a crowd

quiet now its head is bowed

Every night and every day

we are pulled along the way

to the fork in the road

to the stork or the toad

As stork takes the well-loved path

we all add up, we are the math

floating in placenta bath

borne by flying psychopath

Toad takes a different road

passing lawns too green and mowed

passing fields of poisons sowed

with its cracked genetic code

Every mile we begin
takes us only further in
toward the fork in the road
to the stork or the toad

Stork stork who art thou

come on out and take a bow

come on out and tell us how

you become a sacred cow

Listen toad and you will hear

how all of life is held so dear

just procreate and have no fear

ignore the chance your time is near

As we sit and breathe in traffic

could it really be more graphic

at the fork in the road

to the stork or the toad

Life is strong it will survive

says the stork in overdrive

never mind the empty hive

mutations will keep us alive

Ribbit ribbit gasp and choke

is that some kind of killing joke

laugh it up you can have my toke

I’ll be in my toxic soak

As our world tumbles around

can you almost hear the sound

from the fork in the road

to the stork or the toad

Old stork’s not to blame

works hard for its good name

just bringing life though all the same

a vacation wouldn’t be a shame

Old toad’s breathing hard

drying up in your back yard

frying in the sun like lard

flattened like a playing card

Every day, every night

brings us nearer to the sight

of the fork in the road

to the stork or the toad

Can’t we all just get along

honked the storks in surround song

life goes on, it can’t be wrong

and you know we all belong

Tell that to toad I’d say

as it whiles its time away

as the time becomes the day

when toad becomes a memoray

As we come to the fork

to the toad or the stork

do we pause at our choice

do we ever give it voice

do we use our mental torque

or stand there like a dork

have we wondered at our plight

can we flee is there flight

do we plea do we fight

at the fork in the road

for the stork and for the toad

Our choice is more than either or

if a window shuts bust out the door

go around and break some glass

break through the roof

break through the floor

get off your ass

get off your ass

Larry Piltz, 2007

In the Year of Our Toad