Haiku

a balancing act
above the still pond…
sunrise journey

~Barbara A Taylor, AU

Free Verse

The score is tied
three three
intense
all watching from
toad's hammock

~Tomas O'Leary, US

Free Verse

My reed
my hammock
my swing
from here I see everything
to you my love song I sing
Ribbit ribbit ribbit
Croaka croak
Splash!

~Tracy McPherson, US

Free Verse

Yeah
I made it
So far
Now
For the next
Jump.

~Jan Oskar Hansen, PT

Haiku

Get my balanced smile—
parallel to the green kigo
sustentation spring

~Gheorghe Postelnicu Stops, RO

Senryu

on the stage –
to croak
or not to croak

~Djurdja Vukelic Rozic, Croatia

Danica Bartulović, CR

Free Verse

Guess

Come on, guess
perhaps I’m a hop toad
or a sweet frog-lady
I'm self-confident
yet not a vain dandy
I'm not a peacock
nor a house sparrow
I'm green all round
green is the swamp
green is the pond
and green is the grass
I make love
when the Moon takes a stroll
over the sky
when all sleep I croak
as loud as the bells knoll

don't you dare threaten my rights
I’ll sue you to the international courts
don’t stretch your arms
after my fried drumsticks
don’t laugh at my swimming kick
you will have nightmares
for I have the power you don’t know
and I’ll cast spells upon thou
long ago I was famous
times have changed now
silk and brocade
are not for me
anyhow

Pogodi

Hajde pogodi
možda sam žaba
možda sam žabac
samouvjerena jesam
ali nisam tašta
nisam paun
ni pokućar vrabac
zelena sam
zelena je močvara
bara
zelena je oko mene trava
seksam se koliko me volja
kad Mjesec šeta Nebom i svi spavaju
ja krekećem

ne ugrožavaj moja prava
tužit ću te međunarodnoj zajednici
ne pružaj ruke za mojim pohanim batacima
ružno ćeš sanjati
imam ja moć za koju ti i ne znaš
nekad sam slavna bila
sad su se vremena promijenila
brokat i svila nisu za mene

Haiku

She swings
And won't come off—
Some one else’s turn

~Gillena Cox, TT

Senyru

unlike Basho's frog
this one swings to and fro...
gleeful glow

~Keith A. Simmonds, TT

Waka

Look at me
look straight into my eyes
and answer me
do you know I was on this world
before humanity was created

~Danica Bartulović, Croatia

Waka

Gledaj me
gledaj ravno u oci
odgovori mi
znaš li ti da sam ja bila na svijetu
prije nego su stvoreni ljudi

~Danica Bartulović, Croatia

Haiku

within reason
the day drifts by
time is forever more.

~Sherry Steiner, US

Senyru

no worries for the hop toad
counting the eyes while
drying his feet

~Malvina Mileta, CR

Free Verse

Toad

Toad is a hopping,
beautiful animal.
When I see it, in photo light,
It sits on dwindling greens,
Facing our prudent eyes.

~Asim Kumar Paul, IN

Free Verse

Toad Logic

Life is a fine balance,
One hasty or wrong move
Could mean eternity.

The massive toad knows it,
He looks about carefully
For any danger signs

His toad logic is clear,
Always remain focused
Do not get distracted.

This quick simple lesson
Will even preserve life
On a precarious rope .........

~Sandra Martyres, IN

Senyru

no hurry
a hop toad waits for the wind
to jump onto himself

~Malvina Mileta, CR

Frog Acourtin'

Free Verse

sitting high
above troubled waters
a giant leap
into the sky
the moon
a passerby

balancing a thought
looking into your eyes
could it be
you and me
in orbit
around the moon

just say yes
fill my lungs
I’ll take the plunge
back into troubled waters

~Bernard Gieske, US

Haiku

hanging thoughts
only the croak of a frog
makes sense

~Christine L. Villa, US

Haiku

the way the frog
can balance,
with such aplomb!

~Emily Romano, US

Haiku

they gaze at each other
a boy and the tree frog—
astonished eyes

~Ljudmila Milena Mršić, Croatia

Senryu

she refuses a kiss ...
won't turn into a prince
this tightrope dancer

~Vania Stefanova, BG

Senryu

balanced
i weigh up
the pros and cons

~John Byrne, IE

Tanka

a frog
balances on a blade of green
toes gripped
to make the leap
my friend on her deathbed

~Jari Thymian, US

Free Verse

Wetland Tale

It began with a busy tadpole
that soon broke the water’s surface
into a semi-aquatic life,

who’s eyes opened to the night
with a throat full of song;

avoided danger and the sun
knew when to hold its tongue

jumped into the unknown
and ended on the edge
of a narrow reed bridge

out of its comfort zone–
above, beyond and away
from a frog’s eye-level view.

~Harvey Jenkins, CA

Fibonacci

The Frog Prince

I wonder what he thinks about
waiting for a meal
tasty fly
main course?
a
bug
for
dessert
or entree?
A meal for a prince
or is he waiting for a kiss?

~Deryn Pittar, NZ

Free Verse

Frog Dreams

Why I'm sitting on a branch?
I know you are wondering
You people want the same
to change your life
sometimes
I climbed up on a tree
on a comfortable branch
looking to a wide range
of this beautiful world
I often dream
wonderful things
that I enjoy
How to find
a favorite place to myself
and live my dreams
On the menu of fatty flies
in the blue lakes
violet water lilies
and the young
frogs orchestra
where the frog haters
won't poison you
and throw out firecrackers
to your shelter
We are environmentally
protected
but there are always the evil
which want to create
unrest in others hearts

~Štefanija Ludvig, CR

Haiku

walking the high wire
what more must I do
to be noticed?

~Marg Beverland, New Zealand

Rhymed Couplets

The Frog

Balefully we stare, each on a mission.
His bulbous orbs with three-sixty vision
scan and quarter each at it’s own pace
My view restricted by the camera’s face.

His body, still, on his hammock of grass
anchored by strands of fine spider threads
while his long sticky fingers—
           flex and spread.

An imprint of nasty designer teeth
decorates his wrap around lips
to fool any predator daring to bite
his legs ready to spring from their grip.

We wait, he and I, for a passing fly
(or gnat or hopper or wandering bug)
I wish to snap his long blue tongue
posed with my camera instead of a gun.

We wait, he and I—
                   for a fly.

~Deryn Pittar, NZ

Compound Word Verse

Frogs or Cane Toad Fright

To be a cane toad or a frog?
this question is in my brain’s fog
of frogspit.

Cane toads are pests on Aussie’s land
they poison native frogs on sand
and frogmarch!

Does this cane toad on reed’s green, show
dried up warty skin and have no
flipped frog kick?

This frog’s got smoother skin and has
powerful hind legs to leap a
froghopper.

Cane toads are out and frogs win so
I’ll seek my fairy-tale-prince-beau
the frogman!

~Karin Anderson, AU

Free Verse

One by one, by turn
All ladies enjoyed swinging
Under the shade of a mango tree,
After fun and frolic, all went
To their respective homes
A frog watched them till
The ladies were out of sight

By chance the frog found to a belt
Tied between two wooden poles
It jumped and sat on it safely
The force created a mild swing
The frog moved to and fro in the air
And enjoyed swinging by chance

~Radhey Shiam, IN

Free Verse

In Limbo

So here I am—Reincarnated
No more keeping up with Joneses
Free at last! ... forgetting though:
They love to eat frog legs for dinner...

~Iolanda Scripca, US

Fibonacci

Passing Parade

A buzz splits the silence of the afternoon
death strikes between wing beats
and peace returns
another buzz
flick
gulp
munch

~Deryn Pittar, NZ

Waka

green throne—
a prince rocking
the sky in his eyes
an aria of a love song
echoes over the marsh

~Djurdja Vukelic Rozic, Croatia