It pours. Lawns bulge with big eyes,
bubbles of throats, bellies slick
with dew. Long legs tangle
in barbecue grills, in clotheslines.
The air becomes thick with the smell
of pond water and fish.
Farmers find frogs nestled
in corn cribs and grain silos,
hiding in the thread of tractor tires.
Boys at the bus stop nudge
bodies with the tips of their shoes,
push the biggest bullfrogs away.
The pet store in town offers to pay
for captured pets, because
the high school biology teacher
says he has enough to dissect.
At dusk, the day is drenched
with a chorus of storybook ribbets.
The Homecoming queen stands
on her front porch. She models
her crown, shows her baby sister
the stance of true royalty.
Cupping a small wood frog in her hand,
she shows how to blow a kiss,
how to leave a lipstick stain without
touching damp skin or hind legs.
Karen J. Weyant
Karen J. Weyant’s speculative poetry has appeared in Caesura, Devilfish Review, Spillway, Strange Horizons and Whiskey Island. She teaches at Jamestown Community College in Jamestown, New York. When she is not teaching or writing, she explores the speculative worlds of Rust Belt Pennsylvania and western New York. You can find more at her website: website www.karenjweyant.com
Artwork: Kawanabe Kyosai, Battle of Frogs, N.d.,19th century, public domain.
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