Poetry Friday: Winter Statue

It's Poetry Friday.  Karen Edminston is hosting today.  Be sure to stop by for your Friday dose of poetry.  




My class has been talking about nonfiction.  We were reading a National Geographic eBook about animals in the winter.  We came across a page that inferred that frogs freeze in the winter.  Interestingly, one first grader assumed that meant they die.  Another thought it meant they froze to survive.  We decided we needed to find out more and began reading.  I thought I'd try to turn a little research into a nonfiction poem about frogs.



Winter Statue
Under
the snowy landscape,
the weathered log,
the gray rock,
the decaying leaves,
you hide
waiting
on warmer days.

A winter statue;
long legs tucked close by.
Your icy body
is silent.
Your heart no longer beats,
waiting, 
waiting.
You are still.

Soon
warmer days 
will arrive,
the temperature
will rise.
Your heart 
will beat again.


© Cathy L. Mere


Interesting Facts

  • Dig into ground for winter
  • Hide under rocks, leaves or logs
  • Cold blooded (ectomorphic)
  • Body temperature stays close to environmental temperature
  • Heart slows and eventually stops


Resources
Amphibians of Ohio
Can Frogs Survive Being Frozen
How Do Frogs Survive the Winter









Comments

  1. Wow-I didn't know the heart actually stopped. I like that you spoke to the frog telling its story, Cathy. And all those habitat bits at the beginning made it so real. FYI-I don't think you've hooked up with the Poetry Friday group. I looked for you & couldn't find it.

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  2. I love combining poetry with all kinds of learning, and I love the rabbit trails that spring up when one question leads to another.

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  3. I second Linda's Wow! I didn't realize that the heart stopped either. "A winter statue" is a beautiful way to describe it.

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