Anne K. 40  

Congratulations to Michael James Faulkner, 59, of Ada, Oklahoma, Grand Prize Winner of the 2011 SAVE THE FROGS! Poetry Contest, for his poem "Froggie Never Went a Courtin'".

Froggie Never Went a Courtin'

I live inside a small glass cage,
With plastic limbs and leaves,
There is no sun, there is no rain,
There is no cooling breeze.
I'd love to go a-courting,
But there's no one here like me.

My life began in a breeder's tank,
Never seen a real tree,
Probably wouldn't recognize one,
If it fell on top of me.
I spend my hours motionless,
Wishing I was free.

When I came here from the pet store,
There was another in poor health,
But he passed away the second day,
On an overheated shelf.
The Big Hand took his body off,
And left me by myself.

Huge faces many times my size,
Peer into my prison flask,
How nice for them; they're entertained,
But I am fading fast.
I'm just some human's knick-knack,
Inside my cage of glass.

I could have lived in a forest,
And climbed the tallest tree.
I could have had a girlfriend,
And made other frogs like me.
I could have eaten tasty bugs,
But it was not meant to be.

And on the day I breathe my last,
Inside this glassy wall,
They'll take my body out of here,
To the bathroom down the hall.
The toilet lid's my funeral bier,
And I will float in state.
The Big Hand will pull the chain,
And flush me to my fate.

"Thank you for choosing my poem from so many worthy candidates. I hope it succeeds in helping people feel what it is like to be locked in a cage and will change their attitudes toward how they treat their fellow sentient beings." -- Michael James Faulkner