To Matsuo Basho -

Startling frog -
low and loud -
mooing like a cow.


Every time I visit my mom, we drive to Fernwood, a botanical garden, 35 miles from Dowagiac.  We walk among the ponds, gardens, forest trails down, down to the St Joe River.  This time as we passed a pond with tall grasses, golden-green in the sun and lily pads in pretty patterns, we heard a frog with a, kind of, typical croak.  We stood there listening for a curious moment. Suddenly a low, loud, sound, truly like a cow's slow, continuing, melodious moo filled the area around the pond.  We looked at each other surprised and amazed.  Never had we heard a frog sound like that!  Immediately, I thought of Matsuo Basho and his timeless haiku I so love - Old Pond.  

Old pond,
frog jumps in:
plop!

by Matsuo Basho