Last week, my family and I embarked on a trip to Disney World. We spent 24 hours in the car together between the drive down to FL and then back to NC. It was a blast, and there may be more to come on that later. But more importantly, on the car ride home, we played a lot of trivia. During a round of animal trivia, we learned about a type of frog called the Wood Frog. Have you heard of it? I couldn’t believe I hadn’t, in all my years of watching Animal Planet, reading books about animal facts, and simply existing as a human being on planet Earth. Because Wood Frogs are Zombie Frogs, and everybody should know about Zombie Frogs.

From nwf.org:
“These frogs have adapted to cold climates by freezing over the winter. During this time, they stop breathing and their hearts stop beating. Their bodies produce a special antifreeze substance that prevents ice from freezing within their cells, which would be deadly. Ice does form, however, in the spaces between the cells. When the weather warms, the frogs thaw and begin feeding and mating again.”

Somewhere between Georgia and North Carolina, I learned about these miraculous creatures and I was in awe. I texted my family members, I continued ‘googling’ facts about the Wood Frog, I cursed all of my elementary school teachers who certainly should have taught me about these unique amphibians. I was amazed and confused, which are fun emotions to experience simultaneously.

I have thought about Wood Frogs every day since learning of them.

So, Wood Frog, this is for you.

—

Wood Frog,
I learned of you last week
And like a desperate crush
Or a song that hits just right
I can’t get you out of my head

Wood Frog,
Do you dream when you’re frozen?
Do you see flies dancing around
In your tiny, frosted mind?
Or is it more like months of solemn darkness
Neither dead
Nor fully alive

Wood Frog,
Do you expect the Great Freeze each year
Or does it always come by surprise?
Do you look forward to the rest
And the disconnect
Or do you dream of another life?

Wood Frog,
Do you fantasize about being neon yellow
With sticky feet for climbing tropical trees?
More familiar with a humid breeze
Than a deep freeze

Wood Frog,
Do the other animals fear you?
The way you die and rise again
And again
And again
Or are you a respected, quiet leader
More godlike than zombie

Do you worry you won’t thaw
And you’ll stay frozen and frigid forever, Wood Frog?
Or do you trust, trust, trust
That the same mystery that freezes you each winter
Will thaw you by spring

Wood Frog,
Do people pick you up and pity you
The poor, frozen frogsicle?
Do they hold your stone-cold body
Mourning when they should be marveling–
Misunderstanding what they can’t comprehend

Wood Frog,
Teach me to embrace the
Mystical and mysterious
The unexplainable
The uncertain
The inconceivable
The terrifying
The miraculous

Wood Frog,
Teach me to trust
And to trust
And when the freeze comes
To trust once more