A Bullfrog Evening

just a small silly slice of life in the country... expounding

A Bullfrog Evening

Swimming out, this evening, the water glides
   over my form, like I imagine an unmet lover’s hands.
I revel in its caress, and shiver at the chill.

The surface breaks like glass, but smooth, and the moon
 rises as witness, larger than life
        Venus winking from her veil, Mercury laughing.

Fireflies flicker in recognition, too.
      I take it in, doing my laps, my body suspended, my mind
  floating gently, expounding on beauty and truth, solemnity incarnate.

Then I see… my silly wayward cat, who followed me out here
        like a lost puppy, and is now…
trying, and failing, miserably, to catch bullfrogs in the grass.

and, it's the funniest darn thing I've ever seen, somehow.

I cannot help but be reminded, of the duality:
      Sublime co-existing happily with the Absurd,

both put here for us to ponder evenly, I guess.

and I’m not sure which is winning on this
        evening of light and love and dreams, outside.

and in the house- unwashed dishes await.

as squat frogs outjump my cat, like dreams we cannot quite grasp.

    Isn’t it all just plain maddening sometimes?

 

Author's Note

just something fun... sometimes we forget to laugh ourselves silly at little things, you know?

Reviews

[Vesa Lee]

I love this!
This happens to me so many times as well.
Here I am pondering the great complexity and beauty of life, when suddenly I'm called back to the present by an often mundane or comical occurrence (i.e a four year old running past me naked as a jay bird).
And people say God doesn't have a sense of humor...*smile*
Thoroughly enjoyed reading your thoughts on life as always.

[alesuriko]

Very cute and rhythmical. I really enjoyed the flow and the tone of reading it. There are parts when the wording feels a little awkward but for the most part it's good. The cat part was cute. It was good and not forced at all how you included the Roman deities. Very descriptive and full of imagery.

[Raef C. Boylan]

"Sublime co-existing happily with the Absurd,
both put here for us to ponder evenly, I guess."

- what an excellent message; we shouldn't feel ashamed of the comical moments, even if they do interrupt our more profound reflections. Life is about 90% mundane and daft...I don't want 90% of me to be pointless.

The tone and pace of this are perfect; it's not about building up to a punchline or moral, more concerned with balance and mood. You recreate an a familiar atmosphere for us, and we're grateful to be absorbed in it.

"as squat frogs outjump my cat, like dreams we cannot quite grasp. "

- I just wanted to applaud that spot-on simile.

Overall, great poem. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[Ruth]

There is excellent duality and comparison in this:) Awesome piece of reflection and thought provoking:) Poppy xx

[Through the Gateway]

Sometimes I think when we are the most serene the most poignant lessons come to us in the shapes of amusing scenes. We are pushing away those maddening chores that seem to pile up, desperately trying to find our moment of contentment in all the chaos.

And something as simple as a cat chasing frogs reminds us of the juxtaposition of our own lives. Constantly filling our lives with clutter while desperately craving the quiet simplicity of just being one with our surroundings.

A wonderful piece!

[Mimi]

Marie,
I love how you have captured the image so perfectly of what it feels like to just drift away in your own
thoughts, and what it's like to go off in your own world. What it feels like to just escape from realitly, and
how one little, insignifigant thing can bring you back from your daydreams. You did a wonderful job
painting a picture for the writers and making them feel as if they are there. You did a wonderful job on
starting the poem strong and fading to an end. Fascinating piece you have written here.

Mimi.

[Emily B]

you have everything here that I most love in a poem, loved this :)

[Spit_and_Prayers]

The duality, I like that. It is in our nature to ponder the reason for humor and how it can to be. Ironically while contemplating laughter, this poem shows that it does not matter why we laugh, just that we do.

[An owl on the moon]

This is just such a peaceful, moving write that makes the heart serene; to look out on the world... leaving work for later just to ponder. Your musings of life and the world are most welcome and insightful! Thank you!

[Mark]

I wrote a story once called "The Ritual", in which it sounded like I was saying one thing, but was actually saying soemthing quite different...I thought that was the road we were headed down, here, but nope...You were, in fact talking ABOUT a frog, not AS a frog!
What a delightful expose of the inanity that is humankind! God is forever throwing little "Lighten UP!" 's into our daily lives, which we are too obtuse to appreciate. Glad you caught yours, though...Now, back to the dishes!

[Jibey]

A pleasing picture, captured with the delight of the evening swim, the sensuality of the water's embrace... then the comic bathos, the nudge of the ridiculous, the reminder that our dreams are dreams and life goes on and the dishes will have to be washed... I liked it very much