FROG

Expecting to star
In a poem someday
The frog practised
Jumping in the well
Until his every splash
Was perfect. Finally,
He saw Li Po approaching
(How did a frog
Recognize Li Po?
How many ten foot poets
Do you think China had?)
The frog leaped
And muffed it entirely
Hitting the water
Without a sound.
Li Po walked on.
His shadow called back
"Don't worry!
He'll fix it in post."

WHATEVER BECAME OF ...?

Basho's frog? Swallowed by a heron.
The well? Dried up long ago.
The noise the frog made
Jumping in the well? Still here.