Minnesota poet Joe Paddock reads “Frogs,” a raucous small-town happening in a narrative poem style. “Frogs” was written by a native of Southwest Minnesota.

MPR’s Vickie Sturgeon produced and hosted this series of five poetic looks at life in Southwest Minnesota. Others include:

·         "Polka Power" - a report and poetic response to the polka festival subculture in the Upper Midwest with poets Joe and Nancy Paddock.

·         "Phil Dacey" - Southwest Minnesota poet reads several of his works.

·         "It's a Pity" - Nancy Paddock shows her attempts to strike a balance with nature.

·         "The Geese" - poet Joe Paddock shows his perceptions of the migration of wild geese across the Minnesota Prairie.

From the KRSW Poets-in-Residence Series.

Transcript:

(00:00:00) in the summer of 1977 Joe Panik worked on oral history project in and around Milroy, Minnesota one of the The natives who helped organize the project was Delmer D bout now Delmer for reasons of Youth declined to be interviewed. But he did tell Joe a story about earlier times on that patch of prairie ground and this story tumbled around at the back of Joe's mind till it emerged as a free verse narrative poem called frogs.
(00:00:56) At that time there was still a pothole over every Hill and the frogs and the fall swarmed like maggots in the carcass of a dead horse. Sometimes after the coming of the cars. They had to get out the blade to scrape the Slick of crushed frogs off that road that circles stork Lake. One Sunny Saturday afternoon in late September more than 40 years back now about 15 Town kids began to heard frogs up from the water's edge where they lay dozing in the Sun by The Thousands big heavy leopard frogs that would stretch 9 10 inches from nose to toe claw. They herded them slowly up over Anderson's pasture Hill you would have thought it was Wind Through grass weeping ahead of them heard of them up onto the road into town heard of them with real care losing a few here and there but maintaining the mass some guests 5,000 some 10 and at the corner of 6th, they turn them loose and maybe 40 dozen which bounced down over her. She's Lon confusing the bejesus out of their old Basset Hound Monty who after sniffing and poking with his paw. Sat down and hold at a thin silver sliver of day moon in the sky old. Mrs. Andrews says
(00:02:07) I first heard a sound like 5,000 hands padding meat when I looked up the street. I saw these kids serious and quiet with a gray brown wave like swamp water to their knees rolling along in front of them. Now. You never heard a word from a single one of those kids. They are a silent and strange without Haze of a wave rolling along in front of them. Just that padding sound times 5,000. I tell you it made the gooseflesh roll up my back and
(00:02:39) arms the boys claimed later that they had. No plan when they came alongside horse Nelson's fix it quick garage, which contain maybe a half dozen broken down cars and horse and Alan his son and Wendy Jeffers one kid barked bring him on in and they turned that heard of frogs on a dime. They were heard in Easy by this time and ran them through the entranceway young Jimmy Dean grab the handle at the Sliding door and rolled her shot and those kids vanish like 15 rabbits into whatever weedpatch they could find. Well hell you can imagine Wendy was on his back working upward on a spring when those slimy Devils started sliding all over him. They say he mows near tip that model A on its side getting out of there and horse who was no doubt nearly through his daily pint of peach Brandy dropped a camshaft on Allen's toe and ran and hid in the can and Alan who'd been mean and noisy from his first walk on began hopping one-footed midst that froth of frogs and you know, how they have a way of climbing up the inside of your pants all wet. And with those Scratchy little clockwise and Alan's lamb banging. Whatever came to hand kept a couple cars from Jackson screamed. I'm going to get Kevin Quinn
(00:03:46) stir for this.
(00:04:02) 43 years of past but those frogs have never quit rolling from the tongues of people around town. It's one of those stories you learn early and carry with you and measure the taste of Life by till the day you
(00:04:16) die. This story frogs was told by Joe Panik poet in residence for Minnesota Public Radio Station K. RS W. The music you heard was from the New England sweet by Vale wagle and hoedown from Aaron copland's Rodeo produced in the Worthington Studios of care SW by Nancy Paddock and Vicky sturgeon. This program was made possible in part with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.