Temple Frog

Temple Frog

by Willjxn

Come in  with me, let's share some time,

Past Ohio friend of mine.

Friend of eighteen sixty four.

Lets glance in through your mortal door.

In times of struggle born before,

My Civil strife, Your Civil war.

Frozen on these walls of saints,

A frog is caught in oil paints.

Grinning there, from ear to ear,

From glistening pond, he ribbits cheer.

He peeks out at our place of peace,

With you and I, he'll gain release.

Springing lithe, from towering, reeds,

On to  life’s path, his hopping leads.

Leaping back into our youth,

A guileless world of keener truth.

See the water sparkling clear,

The trees are rustling, can you hear?

You and I now chase along,

As birds are letting fly their song.

Let's stop awhile to halt life's chase,

Where are we now in time and space?

Perhaps in bulrush on the Nile,

A basket floats with babe awhile.

Then leaping further back up stream,

We splash through watered Eden's spring.

A heavenly voice calls from the hall,

Where are you children of the fall?

We hide behind a fig leaf blind,

Our innocence we see unwind.

Back on the path we now take chase,

View Abraham, his human race.

Into John’s Jordan river, splash!

Unworthy to unleash shoe lash.

In living water,  heavens part,

“Thou art my son”, sings to my heart.

The visions of our past fade thin,

Where prophets were, we too have been.

‘Til at the vail of time we wait,

You and I and frog, abate.

Primeval past comes echoing glad,

I’m thankful for this time we’ve had.

Our frog, into the bullrush leaps,

Where in my memories, friendship keeps.

Does boyhood joy abide with thee,

O God of frog and friend and me?