MHI: THE BULLFROG AND THE BLACK DOG by Marsheila Rockwell

Trigger Warning: This piece addresses mental health

The HWA is pleased to launch its Mental Health Initiative, a coordinated roll-out of events, resources, and activities intended to promote positive mental health, foster the concept of hope, and challenge the stigma of mental illness in the horror genre. The initiative, run by the organization’s Wellness Committee, launches in June, and includes the following blog posts from Of Horror and Hope, a downloadable anthology of poems, flash fiction, and personal reflections on mental health by HWA members.

THE BULLFROG AND THE BLACK DOG
Marsheila Rockwell

The bullfrog sings, but never sleeps
The black dog came and stole his peace

Tore it away with jagged teeth
Spat it out like rotten meat

The dog stands guard should it come back
Forever ready to attack

To bury kindness in quicksand
And crush the helpfullest of hands

He wants the frog afraid, alone
To toy with like a well-chewed bone

He thinks the bullfrog will give in
Decide this fight is not for him

But he forgets the bullfrog’s song
It has been there all along

Most days quiet, some days loud
The music still survives uncowed

It’s part and parcel with the frog
It’s always there, come frost or fog

The black dog stole his peace, it’s true
But peace recedes like morning dew

The dog was foolish; stole the wrong thing
The tormented frog continues to sing

The black dog fears to hear that song
He knows its magic is too strong

He howls in pain; it fills his ears
It plays through smoke as he disappears