Frogs Poem by Francis Duggan

As I walked out on a windy night along by the moonlit lane
Ribet ribet I heard them in the watery pond and drain
Tiny and shy amphibians Nature's forecasters of rain
Long after I have heard them their songs with me remain.

At the sound of my approaching footsteps they suddenly grew quiet
Along the drain and the little pond I searched with my spotlight
But they lay quietly hidden and uttered not a sound
So often heard through Winter and Spring but never easily found.

The tiny common frogs of South Eastern Australia so elusive and shy
Whenever you hear them singing you know that rain is nigh
In Summer often low on gum tree trunk they hide behind the loose bark
And at night in changeable weather they sing out in the dark.

As I walked out in the moonlight on a windy night in Spring
Along the drain and in the pond the tiny frogs did sing
As I shone my spotlight where they were they suddenly grew quiet
And well aware of danger they lay hidden out of sight.