Danny’s Wild Ride
A Mostly True Story
By Scott Schmidt


In early July of the year 2K,
Danny was putting
His tools away.
His chores were done early that fine summer day
And Danny was thinking,
“Work’s done, time to play.”

It was hot, Dan was sweaty, felt out of sorts,
So he changed his long pants 
And he put on some shorts.
He looked at his legs, all shiny and white,
Like a fat Walleye’s belly
In a sock that’s too tight.

But comfort was key, Danny thought with a smile,
Who cares what one wears 
When he’s fishing awhile?
So with tackle box, rod, and some worms (just in case)
Danny boarded his boat 
With a grin on his face.

Now Dan’s a big man but his boat’s a bit small,
Two benches, an outboard,
But perfect to haul
Dan and his tackle upstream and down,
And fish the deep holes
Where the Walleyes abound.

His hat, which was lucky and treasured by Dan,
Which he wore though it made him
A strange looking man,
Was pulled tight on his head, the brim flapped in the breeze,
As Dan faced the stern, on the bench,
On his knees.

Dan grabbed the starter cord, gave it a tug,
Smoothly it started  
With nary a chug,
So he clambered around, put his rear on the seat,
And headed upstream 
For some Walleyes to eat.

The sun on the water, the wind in his face,
Danny twisted the throttle,
The boat motor raced
And shot the boat forward, where the river was wide,
And so began 
That Wild Ride.

For then something happened, an occurrence quite rare,
The motor stopped running, 
This gave Dan a scare.
“Don’t quit on me now,” Danny said with a turn,
“I have Walleyes to catch,
And no time to burn.”

With a lean and a twist Danny’s hand reached the cord,
He gave it a tug 
And the boat motor roared.
It happened so fast there was no time for fear,
Just the realization
He’d left it in gear!

The boat heaved, and pitched Danny over the side,
Where the water was deep 
And the river was wide.
The boat sped away, leaving Dan in its wake,
Like a big hairy bobber,
Adrift in a lake.

But Dan didn’t panic, he was too cool for that,
The first thing he did 
Was rescue his hat.
Then he watched as his boat slowed and leaned in an arc,
And he started to swim 
Toward a spot that he marked.

For he knew if the boat circled back within reach,
He could grab on the side
And cling like a leech.
Danny got to the spot, treaded water a bit,
The boat puttered closer,
This would be it!

Danny lunged upward and managed a grip
But his hands were all wet
And they started to slip,
But from deep down inside Danny summoned such power,
He clamped down so hard
He hung on for an hour.

Danny’s boat’s made of metal but it’s been noted since,
He clamped down so tightly
He left fingerprints.
Danny held tight with that strength that he’d found,
While his boat kept on circling,
Around and around.

Until a couple of guys who were fishing that day,
Rescued our hero
And sent him away.
And to Dan’s parting “Thank You’s!” they grinned and replied,
“That must have been
Some Wild Ride!”


The End
Scott Schmidt


Danny's Wild Ride - By: Scott Schmidt

Abby and The Insidious Want
By Scott Schmidt


Hear this story of Abigale Schmidt
     Who with her Beauty and her Wit

Won over all who came before her
     Friends and Foes alike adored her

A Warrior Princess, Fair and Fine
     She ruled a Land called Eisenstein

Where she was loved by all who met her
     And none who met her could forget her

Her gallantry was much admired
     Her beauty made her much desired

With thoughts so pure, and heart so true
     There’s nothing Abby wouldn’t do

To help her fellow Eisensteiners
     From Princes to Peasants, Matrons to Minors

Protect the Kingdom, her main mission
     Not from Myths or Superstitions

But Ogres, Trolls, Hobbyas, and Dragons
     Were eating her people, their livestock and wagons

So the Princess patrolled the border line
     Of all her Land of Eisenstein

On a Mighty Steed, with her Sturdy Shield
     Guarding from Glidden to Fifield

Princess Abigale hounded her foes
     Her aim to help them decompose

She became a Hunter and a Ranger
     And adept at facing danger

Her Sword and Spear were bright and keen 
     Her Royal Armor oiled and clean

Stout and stalwart was The Crew
     Who comprised her retinue

They stood with the Princess through every fight
     Together, they wielded incredible might

They’d obliterate Ogres and trounce every Troll
     They hauled out the Hobbyas from each Hobbya hole

They defeated the Dragons in a fiery fight
     And finally the Kingdom slept soundly at night

But yet there persisted a pernicious haunt
     An evil Insidious Want

And Insidious Wants, as we all know 
     Often prey on youth, although

No one is safe, no one’s immune
     To an Insidious Want’s insidious tune

But Abby would do what she knew should be done
     She’d battled Wants before, and won

“But this one is worse than the rest,” Abby said
     “I vow not to rest until it is dead.”

A vile, Insidious Want indeed
     It fed on lust and thrived on greed

It was skulky and stealthy and furtively lurked
     The Princess set traps but it seemed nothing worked

Then one night while Abigale lay in her bed
     The Insidious Want crept into her head

“Abigale,” crooned that foul hearted fiend,
     “I think it’s time you should be Queened.”

Then he slithered away, he had planted a seed
     The Insidious Want could become a Great Need

Again the next night and the night after that
     The Insidious Want crept in and spat

The seeds of ambition into Abigale’s dreams
     But nothing is ever as it seems

The Insidious Want never noticed the fake
     Until he realized Abigale was awake

Princess Abigale’s mind was sharp as her sword
     The Want was off guard, his wits not restored

She struck and he parried a little too late
      He saw the wound, beheld his fate

Abby’s mind was quick as it was sharp
     She gutted that Want like a ten pound carp

“My Wants and my Needs,” she proclaimed the next day
     “Are not one and the same, but met the same way

With my Friends and my Family, my Home, it seems
     I have all I wish, to follow my Dreams.”

With her Kingdom secure Abby said to her Crew
     “Our work is done here but there’s more work to do

The World needs our help, it’s our duty to do it
     To get the job done, we better get to it.”

Princess Abby got to it and that’s why we find
     No more Wants in Eisenstein.

The End
Scott Schmidt

Abby and The Insidious Want - By: Scott Schmidt

A poem by: Scott Schmidt

In the Forest of Northern Wisconsin,
   With the Eagle, the Wolf, and the Bear,
There once lurked a terrible Tiger,
   With scales where there should have been hair.



Cat Fight

Music Does It!

Horsie Keep Your Tail Up

Scott Schmidt recites his original poem "Old Growth"/

Old Growth

Huntin' Bucks at Crowley

Disclaimer:  The characters and events depicted in this Mostly True Story are based on real people and actual occurrences.  Variations and deviations from the Truth, to advance the story, may be attributed to the author.  However, it is the responsibility of the Reader to determine what those variations and deviations might be and the extent of their distortion of the actual Truth.

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