A tiny frog
in the back yard
pipes up days
after rain has left
a puddle in the grass,

hoarse, croaky,
perhaps struggling
with a… you know…
in its wee throat,

imitating, it seems to me,
a persistent squeak of shoe
or complaining floorboard—

not unlike a human-sized
inflatable frog on the street
defending democracy,

one small ribbit joined
by pumped-up friends
Panda, Giraffe, T-rex,
Hot Dog, Unicorn and
other nonviolent resisters,

some carrying the grand old flag
upside down in protest,
other costumed citizens
on the march,

demonstrating their right
to free speech, hoisting,
as the song goes,

…a high-flying flag,
forever in peace
may you wave.

•••

(Lyrics from the song “You’re A Grand Old Flag” by George M. Cohan in 1906.)