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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Save the Frogs!



Rainbow Frog by Hannabobanna.from savethefrogs.com

 April 27 is Save the Frogs Day! 
This poem is based upon a true incident when I was a camp counselor last summer!
The day was hot and so we took
our campers for a swim
The lifeguard sat upon his chair,
so blond and tan and trim
But he was not a nice boy, no,
He was callous and cruel
He said that he was going to kill
frogs in the baby pool!
"How could you do that awful deed?
Don’t do it," we beseech
"Sorry, they’re a nuisance so
in goes the Clorox bleach."
"But we will get them out for you
so you don’t have to do it"
"They’ll just come back, those nuisance frogs,
and that’s all there is to it."
Most counselors then just shrugged and said
"That really is quite sad,"
but three of us would not give up
Frog murder made us mad!
And so we hatched ourselves a plan
to have a frog rescue
We’d sneak the frogs out of the pool
to hop in the fescue
We waited til the pool was closed
to save frogs from their fate
But it would not be easy for
a lock was on the gate!
And all around the baby pool
a chain link fence we found
It rose to five or six feet up
and went down to the ground
But we did not give up, oh no,
Our will would never fail
The three of us decided that
the stupid fence we’d scale!
Three women nearing fifty must
have been an absurd sight
Climbing up a metal fence
as day turned into night
We made it to the other side
and grabbed the lifeguard’s net
We chased those frogs around the pool
and got ourselves real wet!
Those frogs were very quick and so
were not easy to catch
But we were most determined that
the frogs had met their match
We finally caught all of the frogs,
released them to be free
over the fence where they could hop
in grass or on a tree
When we at last were finished then
we grinned about our joke
"The lifeguard won’t be hoppy but
the froggies will not croak!"




10 comments:

Sherry Blue Sky said...

This is both heroic and adorable. Climbing the fence is no small thing and you saved some froggy lives! Loved this!

Hannah said...

I'd be soppin' ringin' wet in that effort as well...nicely done!!

Anonymous said...

This is so charming! Way to go saving the frogs. My aunt had a problem with frogs getting in her pool but she sold them to restaurants =(

Mary said...

Good for you. I admire your frog rescue. I do know how quick they are. I used to have a pool and was visited by only an occasional frog, and they were tricky indeed to catch. Love visualizing the scene in your poem. Thanks for participating in Poetry Pantry.

not displayed said...

Yay for saving the frogs. You are my hero

Helen said...

OMG ... OMG, brava, brava!! We had pools during our kids' growing up years. Can't count how many frogs they must have rescued from the skimmers! (Me, I let them do it.)

Kerry O'Connor said...

How delightful!! Three cheers to you gals for literally saving the frogs.

Stormcat Poetry said...

Lola
I always like your blog and am so happy to read this poem. Frogs are one of the animals in my totem (so said my shaman) They often visit me coming right into my house where I have to rescue them from the cat. They never seem to squirm when I catch them. I guess because they trust me.
A charming and entertaining very pleasant poem to read . . .
Thanks for posting it.

TCPC said...

the rhyme added to the fun and age is no bar for unlimited fun and a good deed! :)

Susan said...

True or not, it makes a great tale.