Where are all the frogs?
I haven’t seen a frog in what seems like years.
When I was younger I could always rely
on seeing a frog in my garden after it had been raining,
beside a container filled with rainwater,
or on the damp ground underneath a moss-covered log.
I do not know what it is,
but for some reason the thought of a frog, or frogs,
makes me think of myself as a boy,
and of the times while growing up that I hold most dear.

When I was growing up frog were very popular –
on television programs, and in movies –
frogs were famous, they walked upright on two legs,
and they even had names:
names like ‘Freddie’, ‘Robin’, ‘Jeremy’,
and of course the most famous frog of them all –
and the star and the most well-known of all “The Muppets –
Kermit the frog;
when I was growing up frogs were cool, and all the rage;
I was always fascinated by the sight
and the sound of a frog when I came upon one –
I must admit, it did take me a while
to distinguish between the discovery of a frog,
or whether it was in fact a toad.

If I went down to my local duck pond,
if I went out into my back garden,
would I find a frog if I looked for one?
If I were to listen, would I hear the “ribbit”
of my favourite amphibian?
Is there somewhere where all the frogs go for the winter –
some kind of “amphibian paradise” that has lots of water
and insects for them to live on and devour –
I wonder, because I have not seen one in what feels like ages;
I just hope that one day I will see a living, breathing,
frog right in front of me;
I would think though that the thought, or the likelihood,
of seeing a frog would be more likely here
in our ponds and gardens,
than in another country – especially France.

Frogs of the world have been seen, and they thrive,
all over the planet, and they all sport different colours
and patterns on their skin, which makes them
easier to differentiate between themselves:
some have spots, some have markings that make them stand out;
there are frogs of the rain-forests of Earth
in which you would find frogs of any and every colour:
even frogs that could be seen in the dark –
golden, luminous, and of course the green
that most people might expect a frog to be
if they saw one, no doubt.

Frogs are incredibly important to this world, to us,
and even now we are learning more about them,
and while investigating their natural biology
we are learning about how they could potentially heal
and cure us of so many of the planet’s most
dangerous diseases and infections,
and perhaps we will all one day
thank frogs for the miracle of each of us beating the odds?

I hope that there are frogs out there that are right now sleeping;
I hope that there are frogs out there that are jumping;
I hope that there are frogs out there that are spawning;
I hope one day to see another frog eye to eye,
and to never know a day when I, or anyone,
will never see another frog –
however, I have a feeling that we will never see or hear
the last of frogs.