Suction sure

She dotes on poetry, sir. She adores it; I may say that her whole soul and mind are wound up, and entwined with it. She has produced some delightful pieces, herself, sir. You may have met with her 'Ode to an Expiring Frog,' sir.
― Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers *

Sharing a poem from the Poem Swap today. This summer was very emotion-packed for me, what with my father-in-law's death, son's graduation, husband's illness, and other events. When I was sending out a message to the swappers in July, I included this image and said, "This has pretty much been me this summer:

Drenched, but still holding on to my cup."

Dori thought about me and my storms when she wrote the following poem, which she sent with a delightful, musical frog:

Song of the storm
by Doraine Bennett
for Tabatha

a spring peeper clings
to the broken limb
footpads suction sure
attuned to distant thunder
she chooses the pertinent chant
perfectly paired to words
her green mind imagines
and belts out her song

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* In case you wondered about Charles Dickens' character's "Ode to an Expiring Frog":

‘Can I view thee panting, lying
On thy stomach, without sighing;
Can I unmoved see thee dying
     On a log,
     Expiring frog!’

‘Say, have fiends in shape of boys
With wild halloo, and brutal noise,
Hunted thee from marshy joys,
     With a dog,
     Expiring frog!

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Here's a poem inspired by Dickens' expiring frog.

A Penny and her Jots has the Poetry Friday round-up this week. Thanks, Penny!