A chorus of hidden voices
heralds the arrival of spring.

Sweet high-pitched tones
echo over marshy grasses
at the pine forest’s edge.

One step,
then another step,
then stop.

Spring peepers
near at hand
quiet with the intrusion.

Crouching down,
I scan the bog.
Dusk calls for a flashlight.

There
caught in the bright
circle of light
is a thimble-sized frog.

Its rapid heartbeat
pulses visibly under
smooth, glistening skin.

A full round throat
awaits the darkness
to release a song.

Beckoning other denizens
of the night —
foxes, owls, snakes, deer —
venture out
this warm spring night!