“I rose from marsh mudalgae, equisetum, willows,sweet green, noisybirds and frogs.”

“The willow is green; flowers are red. The flower is not red; nor is the willow green.”

“There must be a marsh in the brains of these men or there would not be so many frogs of wrong ideas gathered in their heads.”

“And, sure enough, saturation begins--the staedy work of seeps and springs. Then, suddenly, cottonwoods and willows spring from the sand, their leaves gyrating into a byzantine mosaic of greens. Birds, frogs, and insects trill out brilliant improvisations--a kind of critter jazz. And as the water gathers substance, there is the ballet of tadpoles and water skeeters across the face of clear ponds.”

“Know that diamonds and roses are as uncomfortable when they tumble from one's lips as toads and frogs: colder, too, and sharper, and they cut.”

“The willow is green; flowers are read. The flower is not red; nor is the willow green. Same went for Charlie. Charlie was my friend; he was very nice to me. Charlie was not my friend; nor was he very nice to me.”