The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

Where Have the Frogs Gone?

The frog is nowhere to be found. Absent
are crimson flashes in canopy leaves —
Gone. Extinct before finishing its game
of hide and seek. The last Splendid Poison
Arrow Frog removed by toxic humans
along with toads as orange as the sun
basking new roads of Costa Rica. Gone:
The Golden Toad, no more Mountain Mist Frogs,
some Harlequin Frogs and the Las Vegas
Leopard Frog, gambled away. Two toads
Extinct in the Wild cling to existence
trying to avoid the fate of those others.
Critically Endangered species number
merely 795.
Today.
Witches brew potions with frogs no more
or torture females for pregnancy tests.
Humans destroy homes to build for themselves
ornamental ponds, ornate houses and
Greed. So when you hunt for frogs in zoo tanks
spying a fabulous flash of blue toe,
then ask where have the frogs gone? Think about
your food, cities, your heating and lights. Please
ask loudly — where have the other frogs gone?

About the Writer


Nick Fordham

Nick is a doctor specialising in paediatric haematology but particularly enjoys spending his ever-limited time creating and visiting magical worlds.