Fiona, the Female Gopher Frog: A New Year's Story
Fiona the female gopher frog,
Harbored ambitions far beyond her log,
She spent her days on a lily pad frond,
Singing around her Mississippi pond.
Daily, Fiona all brown and pretty,
Sang both a classical and pop ditty,
Her notes grew powerful, lasting and bold,
Dreams of a career began to unfold.
Then one day Granrana* came to advise,
Fiona’s singing dreams would not be wise,
“These songs are nothing but a youthful fling.
Female gopher frogs aren’t made to sing!
“Life is a serious matter for frogs,
There’s more to frog life than singing on logs,
Our numbers are shrinking, we’re on the brink,
We’re in danger of becoming extinct!”
“Granrana, how do numbers in low gear,
Change anything in my singing career?”
“Fiona, you must address the mission,
You must uphold Gopher frog tradition!”
“Granrana, my voice will not remain still,
I don’t want to stay in Harrisonville,
I want to be a world happening,
I want my life to accomplish something!”
“Fiona, life is earnest and up and down,
We gopher frogs live mostly underground,
Gopher tortoises dig our habitat,
“That’s why we’re called gopher frogs, you know that!
“I know we live in the piney uplands,
Few pines and tortoises remain at hand,
Our numbers are low -we don’t live beyond,
Three Harrrisonville, Mississippi ponds.”
“Gopher and countless frogs who are strangers,
Are exposed to air and water dangers,
I can sing to improve their condition
That’s following gopher frog tradition!
My songs will make people much more aware,
Frogs and people need clean water and air,
My songs will touch their hearts, will make them know
Granrana, hear one song before I go!
Fiona sang with her gopher frog heart,
“We all must take the environment’s part,
People and frogs live on earth, breathe its air,
They both need the earth to always be there.”
Granrana listened to Fiona’s song,
She listened hard and she listened long
“You’re good Fiona, and I love your groove,
But worldwide singing? I disapprove!”
“I’ll travel the globe to sing our story,
And the stories of frogs from each country,
If governments and people are concerned,
The earth will flourish and frogs will return!”
Then Granrana patted Fiona’s tongue,
“You’ve thought it well and it’s just as well sung!
We’ll both work to make the world better
So people and frogs can sing together.”
Harbored ambitions far beyond her log,
She spent her days on a lily pad frond,
Singing around her Mississippi pond.
Daily, Fiona all brown and pretty,
Sang both a classical and pop ditty,
Her notes grew powerful, lasting and bold,
Dreams of a career began to unfold.
Then one day Granrana* came to advise,
Fiona’s singing dreams would not be wise,
“These songs are nothing but a youthful fling.
Female gopher frogs aren’t made to sing!
“Life is a serious matter for frogs,
There’s more to frog life than singing on logs,
Our numbers are shrinking, we’re on the brink,
We’re in danger of becoming extinct!”
“Granrana, how do numbers in low gear,
Change anything in my singing career?”
“Fiona, you must address the mission,
You must uphold Gopher frog tradition!”
“Granrana, my voice will not remain still,
I don’t want to stay in Harrisonville,
I want to be a world happening,
I want my life to accomplish something!”
“Fiona, life is earnest and up and down,
We gopher frogs live mostly underground,
Gopher tortoises dig our habitat,
“That’s why we’re called gopher frogs, you know that!
“I know we live in the piney uplands,
Few pines and tortoises remain at hand,
Our numbers are low -we don’t live beyond,
Three Harrrisonville, Mississippi ponds.”
“Gopher and countless frogs who are strangers,
Are exposed to air and water dangers,
I can sing to improve their condition
That’s following gopher frog tradition!
My songs will make people much more aware,
Frogs and people need clean water and air,
My songs will touch their hearts, will make them know
Granrana, hear one song before I go!
Fiona sang with her gopher frog heart,
“We all must take the environment’s part,
People and frogs live on earth, breathe its air,
They both need the earth to always be there.”
Granrana listened to Fiona’s song,
She listened hard and she listened long
“You’re good Fiona, and I love your groove,
But worldwide singing? I disapprove!”
“I’ll travel the globe to sing our story,
And the stories of frogs from each country,
If governments and people are concerned,
The earth will flourish and frogs will return!”
Then Granrana patted Fiona’s tongue,
“You’ve thought it well and it’s just as well sung!
We’ll both work to make the world better
So people and frogs can sing together.”
- Rana is the Latin word for frog, so Grandrana means Grandma Frog.