Teeny Tadpole

As I sat on my dad’s knee
Many stories he told me
They were always of the same wee thing
Everyone different, made my heart sing.

They were of a little black thing
In a place that I was fond
Up the road from where we stayed,
The famous local Swannie Pond.

As a child I’d take my net and jelly jar
The walk there wasn’t very far,
With moss and sludge, they’re hard to see
Especially for little girl me.

Mum didn’t like me reaching far
She thought I might fall in
I’d be with all the tadpoles
Oh, such an awful sin.

Teeny was the tadpole’s name
She was a magic swimmer
She’d go to school every day,
Come home for dinner.

Go messages to the co-op
For bread, jam and brisket
The money in her trench coat
For fear she would lost it.

On Saturdays the family is very merry
Her ma, pa, brothers and sisters
Would all go on the ferry
Down the water off they went
Two and a tanner well spent
As at the other end of the pond
Uncles, aunts, cousins, swam beyond.

Teeny didn’t like the rain
She’d hide amongst the moss
Pa would come and find her
She knew he was the boss.

The rain made splashes, like a whirlpool
As they all swam off to school
Teeny liked her teacher
She simply was the best
She’d them swim back home again
And have a little rest.

She didn’t like the winter
The pond would all freeze over
The skaters with their blades so sharp
In moss she hid for cover.

Skaters would scrape and scratch so hard
The ice would crack open
The cold fresh air caught her tail
So hard it got, it’s broken.

Do not worry her mummy said
Your tail has gone for good
You now have your four new legs
Go hop up to the wood.

Teeny is a frog now
Grown up so very fast
You will not catch her in the pond
She’s in the wood and far beyond.