Frog prince

Day 4: "write a poem in which you take your title or some language/ideas from The Strangest Things in the World. First published in 1958, the book gives shortish descriptions of odd natural phenomena, and is notable for both its author’s turn of phrase and intermittently dubious facts."

My grandson (who also loves Minecraft) has been obsessed with frogs from a very young age,  so I was delighted to find a section devoted to various South American species:

The “tin-pan frog” is one of the most conspicuous creatures of the region. The chorus of singing males gives a booming metallic sound which seems at times to be a regular clanging, like that of a blacksmith hammering on an anvil.  The “tin-pan” frog builds its own house—a crater-like structure of mud projecting above shallow water within which its eggs are laid during the dry season. These nests usually are constructed close to the water’s edge. Here the eggs hatch and the young tadpoles are swept into the pond by the next heavy rain.

Frog Prince

His focus lives inside the screen,

The real world ceasing to exist

While he builds his own mythic lands 

From digital blocks of concrete, 

Mineral, stone and glass, 

His favourite: emerald. 

His fingers tap-tap-tap, then slide,

Over and over, with uncharacteristic patience,

To place each block upon another

Until a fortress stands erect, 

Protection from the Ender Dragon,

Lava flow, zombies, or other grisly way to die.

He populates his landscapes with ponds,

Filled with lily pads and tiny frogs,

Golden, green, and crystal white,

Less from any strategy,  

But from a simple, abiding love of frogs. 

They spawn, and grow, and soon

The screen is swarming, to the sound

Of a myriad croaking frogs,

And his delighted chuckling. 

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