Catching Things at the Picnic

The kids were catching tadpoles
They thought it was such fun
But I was shocked when
They showed me their cups
 
For each and every one
Was bleached
To an awful white translucence
That nature never planned
 
They kicked with little legs
And waved stubby tails
But didn’t seem to move
And all I could think was
 
The parents
Are letting their kids play in the water?
THIS water?
 
It wasn’t my place to shoo them away
Not at a picnic
Where I was just a guest
But still, I thought I needed to try
To lure them at least
 
With bubbles
And paper airplanes
And leaf whistles
And rubber-band slingshots