Inspired by My AD Pal,

SeedForever M.D.,

Who Recently Posted a Poem

Entitled, The Moose;

And Who Encouraged Me

To Continue to Fight on Behalf of Animals,

Just as My Frostbite Falls Muse Always Does

“O! For a muse of fire,

That would ascend the brightest

Heaven of invention.”

William Shakespeare

When I started writing

Not that very long ago

 I longed for an epic muse

Like so many writers I know

They’re inspired by Calliope

They’re often aroused by Erato

They’re blessed by Polyhymnia

Or they’re sagely edified by Clio

I couldn’t wait for my very own muse

I just knew that she would soon appear

As I waited and I wondered and I worried

I soon heard a very baffling voice in my ear

“Psst.  Hey, Rocky!

Wanna write a poem today?

Psst.  Hey, Rocky!

I know just what you should say!”

And this was not the voice of Melpomene

Or one of the other lovely daughters of Zeus

To my utter amazement shock and surprise

I now heard the very familiar voice of a Moose

“Hey, Rocky, Tee Hee Hee!

Psst! Write this down!

Hey, Rocky, Tee Hee Hee!

Now, how’s this sound?”

The very first time I heard my Bullwinkle Muse

I was up in Frostbite Falls on another business trip

I was in my hotel room flipping through the channels

And this old childhood cartoon made me do a mind flip

Before I even knew what I was doing

I had penned my very first true animal tale

And Bullwinkle seemed so very proud of himself

Now strutting around on television wagging his tail

Artists of every sort and type

Fervently yearn for a god-like Muse

Me? I’ve now given up all such yearning

I know I’m teamed with Bullwinkle Moose

Perhaps I was meant to write animal tales

Perhaps good old Bullwinkle guides my way

I just wish that he would stop calling me ‘Rocky’

And I’m hoping he refers to me as ‘Mr. Ed’ one day

I’ve long since ended my research on ancient Greek Muses

My Moose Muse Says It Would Be a Complete Waste of Time

But I Do Believe That My old Childhood Pal, Bullwinkle the Moose,

Pried Open a Whole New World for Me of Animal Stories and Rhyme

“Now that’s a real nice poem,

My squirrelly little friend;

But you better write this down, Rocky,

Now just say, ‘The End!’”

-The End-

©2007, Mr. Ed ‘Rocky’ Kostro

The animated television series, Rocky and His Friends, premiered way back in 1959.

But good old Bullwinkle J. Moose eventually became more popular than his sidekick, Rocket J. Squirrel (Rocky), and the show was re-named The Bullwinkle Show in 1961.

And they, of course, lived in the bustling metropolis of Frostbite Falls, Minnesota.

Much of the show’s success was a result of it being targeted towards both children and adults.  The zany talking animal characters and absurd plots would always draw in kids like me, while the clever usage of puns and topical references appealed to adults.

Rocky and Bullwinkle still retain a very devoted fan following to this day,

And reruns of their glorious old cartoons can still be found on cable TV.

I still watch them every chance I get,

My Moose Muse insists that I do.