The Noetic Frog

by Noetica

Ponds, and the frog I sing, who, forc’d to fame

By poet Bashō’s celebrated name,

Was since evoked a myriad times or more—

Ever silent, never left on shore,

By poetasters made to take the plunge,

To bear without a croak the noisome scunge

And strangely noisy swill of stagnant pools

(All for delight of Buddhist-Baptist fools

Who misconstrue the figure and the ground).

Ah, made to hear that Zen-like water’s sound!

What would the frog say, though, if given choice?

Amphibious apophthegms? No, just voice

Its tranquil transcendental unconcern:

“It could be worse—could be a Greasy Urn.”

This poem was posted on 11 October 2007 as a comment on Steve Dodson’s “The Poetic Frog” post on his Language Hat blog. The poem had no title, but a subsequent post by the author (identified only as Noetica) referred to the poem as the “noetic” frog, so that’s what I’m calling this poem.