PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

I remember going to my aunt’s house in Saltillo and seeing her frog decorations all around the house. In the entry, there is a porcelain frog with a welcome sign. Outside, there is a cast stone frog and two frog planters that my mom gave to her many years ago. In the bathroom there are three small stone frogs by the sink. On the kitchen wall there is a plaque with a funny frog dressed like a chef… Yes, she has frogs everywhere and everyone knows how much she likes them. My cousin, who is a doctor, gave her a small frog with a stethoscope and white coat; my uncle brought her a beautiful frog necklace from Paris; my dad brought her an “alebrije” wood-carving frog from Puerto Vallarta; and my grandmother gave her a frog portrait. It has been so long since I went to her house in Saltillo, at least ten years, but the most I remember is the small table in the living room with a white lace tablecloth and a frog collection over it.  She has at least 30 frogs! I liked sitting on the floor and observe every single one of them. There is a glass frog with a gold crown, a green crystal frog, a clay frog from Veracruz, a sequence of 10 frogs going from smaller to larger, a frog made out of seashells, a silver candleholder of frogs holding hands making a circle, a groom and bride frog, several porcelain frogs in different postures, and my favorite of all, a brass frog in a swing hanging from a tree. That frog was like a toy to me. I remember having fun just by watching it swing back and forth, and I also tried to place other frogs in the swing but most of them were too big. Sometimes I pictured myself sitting next to the frog and talking to it like if it was my friend, I guess it reminded me of the story “Frog and Toad.” My aunt always told me that she considered frogs a lucky charm but I never asked her why. Now I wish to know if there is a story behind it, how she started collecting them, since when, and why. Someday I wish I could start my own collection, to have it showing in my home and maybe my niece will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed my aunt’s.