I went down to the pond yesterday to look for frogs. I didn't see them, but they certainly saw me. I know they did because I heard them as they leapt into the water with a "plop!" But when I turned to look there was only a ripple left to see. The pond smiled up at me innocently.
"Was there a frog there?" I asked the pond.
"Nope! No frogs here! None at all!" the pond replied.
The pond was lying, of course. I knew it was, and it knew that I knew. I knew there was a frog there. I had heard it. I had almost seen it. I also knew because I saw tadpoles squirming beneath the surface of the water. How could there be tadpoles but no frogs?
I walked around the pond two times. Every time I heard a "plop!" and every time I turned to look I was too late.
"No frog here!" the pond said every time.
At last I gave in.
"You win this time, pond," I said. "Maybe there aren't any frogs here today."
"No frogs here!" the pond said with a wink.
So I walked away. As I left, I listened to the birds and crickets sing.
"We're not here either!" they said. "No birds! No crickets!"
"I know," I replied.
And I did.
YOU ARE READING
Counting Down the Days
PoetryIt is the summer before I leave for college, and I am staring into the empty abyss before me, wondering what to do with my life. In this collection, I am challenging myself to write something every day (now adjusted to every 2-3 days). I may write p...
