If I learned how to construct a Sonnet in my school years, I certainly can’t recall it now. Elihu, however, is in the midst of a creative writing block in school, and the form is very much on his mind. So are frogs. Yesterday the seventh grade recited Shakespeare’s Sonnet 60 for the school assembly. All of these elements combined have resulted in this work…
Sonnet:
The Wide Variety of Frogs by Elihu Conant-Haque
There are so many different kinds of frogs
They jump, change color, swim and even fly
Frogs live in woodlands, rainforests and bogs
But frogs need clean, warm climates or they’ll die
The Wallace Frog with hands outstretched, soars high
His skillful twists and turns no frog can match,
The distance of his fall is what he flies
Below him treefrogs climb like acrobats.
The Golden Treefrog speedily doth climb,
How graceful is he sitting ‘pon his log
And tho’ they didst for naught to help my rhyme
We’ll note the Pickerel and Leopard Frog
And whilst I stand for my anuran friends
If e’er you hated frogs, please make amends.
The Hillhouse 
Wonderful! Bravo, Elihu! (Thanks also for teaching me a new word… “anuren”)
You just made Elihu very happy. Thank you! And me too – had no idea what anuren meant…!!
I’m so afraid of frogs! How can I overcome this fear?
My personal advice is make sure they’re pointed away from you when someone holds them up for inspection!!
As long as they won’t pop into my face I’m ok. Or maybe just admire them in photographs – and try to remember they’re innocent little creatures of God, just like all of us.
But most likely you’ll never have to deal with one up close unless you choose to!