i was born with spring
& began as a pulsating embryo
under a maple leaf
wriggling my tail by blind instinct
i emerged from a translucent sack
swimming towards clumps of reeds
soon i became an insatiable mouth
a propeller searching for clumps of algae
mosquitoes & aquatic plants
my world was dangerous
& exciting
& many siblings were devoured
by birds or bass
as summer came my tail shrank
& fins shriveled away
one day
my head rose above water
& i climbed onto a lily
then croaked –
"it's wonderful to be a frog today!"
Hear the author read this poem.