The Lily and the Bullfrog
Were a most unlikely pair,
Yet they had the warmest friendship
At the creek that they both shared.

 

When Lily woke each morning,
At the beginning of her day,
She stretched her pretty petals,
And smiled the Bullfrog's way.

 

"Gurgle, gurgle, sir," she said,
"R-ribbet, r-ribbet," said he,
Then they swam off together,
As happy as could be.

 

While they loved the sunshine and blue sky,
They also loved the rain,
And to duck between the raindrops
Was their very favorite game.

 

The rain drops went plop-plop,
When falling willy-nilly,
But went KERPLUNK upon the Frog,
And SQUISH when they struck Lily.

 

"Giggle, giggle," laughed sweet Lily,
As she wiggled with delight,
And, "Ho, ho," went the Bullfrog,
When the drops hit him just right.

 

Then when the rain was over,
They grinned to greet the sun,
"Gurgle, gurgle!"  "R-ribbet, r-ribbet!"
"Didn't we have fun!"

 

But one day a big storm came,
The rain fell for days on end,
And the playmates' little stream
Became like a river then.

 

At first it seemed exciting,
Like a roller-coaster ride,
And it was kind of fun
Being tossed from side to side.

 

But as the rain kept falling,
And the river water rose,
The Lily and the Bullfrog.
In terror, almost froze.

 

They both then lost their moorings,
And tumbled in the waves,
They held on to one another,
Attempting to be brave.

 

Faster, faster flowed the water,
Stronger, too, the current grew,
The frightened Bullfrog and the Lily
Were not sure what to do.

 

Around the bend, unknownst to them,
Was a treacherous water-fall,
And, as they swerved around the curve,
They were astounded and appalled.

 

"Good-bye Lily," croaked the Frog,
When he almost lost his grip,
But holding tight with all her might,
Lily did not let him slip.

 

Head over foot, and bloom over root!
The two went down the spill!
"Gurgle!  Gurgle!  R-ribbet!  R-ribbet!"
Then everything went still.

 

Into a churning, swirling pool
The water CRASHED below!
Carrying Lily and the Bullfrog
To realms they didn't know.

 

Poor little Lily!  Poor little Frog!
Was this their bitter end?
Wait - wait!  Though it was faint,
There was some life in each of them.

 

Very soon the sun came out,
The rain was done and gone,
And at the river's bank,
Just guess what clung thereon!

 

"Whew!" the Water Lily gasped,
And, "Wow!" exclaimed the Frog,
They were alive - both had survived,
Though each was waterlogged.

 

The Bullfrog tugged on Lily,
And pulled her to the shore,
Then he took a sacred oath,
"No more water - nevermore!"

 

"Me, too," cried out sweet Lily,
"I've also had enough,
That water-fall and all-in-all,
Was much too rough and tough."

 

"I want to put my roots
Deep down in solid ground,
For now I know for me
The water's too unsound."

 

She gurgled her last gurgle then,
And looked up in time to see
The Bullfrog make a mighty leap,
To a branch up in a tree.

 

So they both gave up the water,
And learned to do without,
And that's how LILIES OF THE VALLEY,
And TREE FROGS came about!

 

Virginia (Ginny) Ellis