Editor’s note: Amos is a churchmouse, who types by hopping on the computer keyboard, but he can’t operate the capital shift, and he shuns punctuation marks – except hyphens and dashes.

the transformation of grodey

boss there s a grumpy old
cuss who s always up for
a fuss  he lives at the far
end of the road just under
the bridge  a mean old toad

they call him grodey the
low-throated toad  he s
so mean boss he curdles
barnyard cream

grodey burps groans and
utters rude moans
he s known far and wide
throughout the country
side for his obnoxious
tones  he squats and
harrumphs as he grumps
and thumps little bugs
as though they were
stumpy little bumps

in fact boss he s not a
nice toad at all he trips
little salamanders and
makes them fall
when lovely ladybugs
pass by nasty names to
them he calls
i tell you boss grodey is
the meanest toad of all

one day prayer virgil
the praying mantis
happened by grodey s
little mud hut

grodey hopped out and
said tut tut

what s the matter says
virgil politely

you re the ugliest greenest
bug i ve ever seen says
grodey mockingly

i m sorry you feel that
way says virgil dismayed
i would change but i can t
make this color go away

grodey just laughs and says
so you re green to stay
and you ll ruin everybody else s
day so go along with you
turkey i don t want to be
seen with anybody so jerky

poor prayer virgil who was a
sensitive sort to begin with boss
was cut to the core and off he
went with feelings hurt and sore

i ll pray for you more and more
says virgil to the toady bore

pray for yourself i ve got all i
need - a quick and biting tongue
some ugly words and nasty
deeds a sour disposition
i m evil to a tee says he with
a hideous hee-hee

but boss something began
to happen over the next
few days as prayer virgil
prayed and prayed and prayed

grodey the ugly toad took
an awful turn  he became
deathly sick and even began
to spurn his rude tricks and
nasty comments

he languished in pain and
misery and asked for help
from anyone in the vicinity
but boss no one came they
just avoided him all the same
and didn t care about his pain

all except for prayer virgil who
came by and offered his help
and care no matter if grodey
his feelings didn t spare

prayer virgil demonstrated
a love beyond himself
a love only christ can
manifest through a willing
soul - and grodey was
transformed to a loving
whole - even a gracious
toad - why it seemed that
even his warts began to erode

boss it just goes to show
what happens when a godly
soul begins to pray - and
love others the way he prays

amos