Our first night, just us, since our son’s birth—
unwed but no less bound
than the lovers who,
just now, sealed vows
with a kiss.
We slip away from the reception
to a pond tucked
in a corner of the estate
and fall to the ground beside it:
leopard frogs purring,
green frogs trilling, spadefoots crowing,
bullfrogs moaning, a crescendo—
of spring peepers,
like sleigh-bells.
We lie like wood frogs
in winter—blood-frozen, hearts stopped,
my shirt unbuttoned,
your dress pulled up.
In the distance, the newlyweds
celebrate answering
the questions we answered when
we stopped registering
the croaks of other suitors
and let this shared life unfold in the wild.
John Wojtowicz grew up working on his family’s azalea and rhododendron nursery and still lives in the backwoods of South Jersey. Currently, he teaches social work at Rowan College South Jersey. He has been featured on Rowan University’s Writer’s Roundtable on 89.7 WGLS-FM and Painted Bride Quarterly’s Slush Pile Podcast. Recent publications include: Rattle, New Ohio Review, Waxing & Waning, Gigantic Sequins, and Sonora Review. His chapbook, No Lightsabers in the Kitchen, was selected as a winner of the 2025 Poetry Box Chapbook contest and is forthcoming in early 2026. Find out more at: www.johnwojtowicz.com
