Classic Poem

The poison frog becomes the poison arrow
From a tadpole comes a toad
To the lungfish comes the land we're on
From the city comes the road

A milk thief once made butterfly
A moth once lived in silk
The mayfly lives and dies in May
A bird was once an alligator's ilk

Those with spines will lose them
And those without will gain
A shell becomes your cover
From the water comes the rain

A hornworm ends as hawkmoth
In the muscle is a mouse
The egg tooth cuts the egg you're in
Your temple turns to house.











From Poetry Magazine, Vol. 186, no. 5, September 2005. Used with permission.