Thursday, October 6, 2011

Let the Small Things Speak

Let the small things speak
I whispered to the small child
as we sat by  a vernal pond
one soft evening in early April

I hear jingle bells,  Miss Rachel!
She whispered back in wonder
Where are they?
All around us in the darkness

Hundreds of tiny frogs sing
in a fairy chorus to
welcome Spring's return
They peep together to
ring their elfin bells

How big are they?
Peepers are petite,  like your pinkie
They have a  big X on their backs
because they are special

Why are they special?
They are Mother Nature's
sentinels
They watch for trouble in
their homes by the pond

What trouble?
Some grownups throw 
poisoned garbage into
the rivers which feed ponds

They claim it's harmless
But the peepers know better
Their food vanishes and 
their eggs die
And they too die

The other wild creatures who
visit the ponds,
Fish, birds, beavers,
must move away or die
Until, one day, Spring comes in silence

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