Rain of Frogs
by Scott Slemmons
I once knew a girl
who was the focus of
a rain of frogs
She was walking in a park
on a hot cloudless day
She was chewing her way through
a pack of bubble gum
& thinking of going swimming
And she was surrounded by frogs
Some alive & crying with fear
some dead & broken
She saw one bounce on the grass
She looked up
at a thousand doomed, dully-surprised frogs
& she ran away screaming
A picnicking family told her
the downpour followed her as she ran
A year later
for 2 days
her TV broadcast nothing
but shows from 1971
& when she was little
her home was haunted by poltergeists
People follow her
& tell her she's special
They call her magic
& want to touch her
They speak of her in hushed voices
their eyes moist with love
for the wonder they see in her
for the promise of a life freed from the commonplace
But she hates them
she calls them names
she grows angry at the word "magic"
she jumps at coincidences, startled
she won't watch TV
& she doesn't like to be outdoors anymore
© 1999 by Scott Slemmons