There were once two writers, one a toad, the other a lily,
and they corresponded…
it was a fruitful relationship, but the toad was miserably married;
soon the lily desired a physical encounter…
One kiss would of course have answered all questions,
if it were going to be 'flight', 'fantasy', 'fun', 'fling', or 'forever'
between the two;
if one was just toying, or both;
if one was sincere, or both;
or if there would be trouble parting…
Though they had not met,
the toad liked to imagine the lily as a goddess,
while the lily insisted she was just a simple lily…
“Either way” thought the toad,
for, every time the toad had encountered something nice,
another toad would ruin it, out of jealousy or out of spite;
so, if she was not a goddess,
then no toad would try to ruin her for him…
and that would be nice;
if she was a goddess, that would be nice, too…
So they conversed, exchanged thoughts,
the toad fighting to not push this nice thing away,
as he had grown accustomed to doing…
he knew he was under-appreciating her,
and he always expected to lose her because of it…
such encounters were not easy for him…
The other toads paraded by one day, with their shiny new things,
croaking, “Look, envy me and my shiny new thing!”
But the toad did not,
for the toad had just returned from his travels
through the valley of death,
and he did not come out unscathed;
he wondered why lily bothered with him at all…
One morning he went to the pond, and he did not find her;
he concluded that she had found fulfillment elsewhere,
and he could perfectly understand that;
she had just wanted to enjoy the moment with him,
and he was hesitant… thinking that such moments
only return to haunt him…
He had all of life’s needs taken care of, except one,
and he had romance written all over his face,
but he never quite knew what he was doing…
he tried to share feelings, but it was difficult…
and there were so many to share,
other than The One…
He wondered what a lily thinks
when she looks at a toad…
does she size him up and wonder
if she can get him to do more…?
He wondered if he caused her misery and insecurity;
for if he did, he’d much rather it be him instead…
He wondered if, “What this lily wanted, this lily got”
and where he fit in…
but then, why think about that
when one is just enjoying the moment?
As he pondered all this, lily returned, and waited;
for several days he missed their appointments,
and he knew he was crazy to do such a thing,
he thought that the worse and the best thing that could happen
is that they fall in love,
love, that ever-changing beast…
He spent another Spring without her,
the earth blossomed and turned,
but he did not move…
he began to wonder if it were enough
just to have fantasies...
He took to putting on an air of sophistication,
for it spoke of security…
not that he was insecure, but it was the vogue thing to do;
until he met a toad that put on an air of sophistication
just to con others out of their flies and lilies…
such low company, he thought…
In a list
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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Dear Mr. toad,
lilies grow deep in the water. at some point, you will need air. is she willing to let you sit upon her? you and your heavy heart?
Much enjoyed this read-- not the pain behind it. Thank you for this.
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so that's what it is- a heavy heart... of course... blind me... thanks... but the causes? Not sure... but I'll keep you posted...
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I'll tell you what a Lily pad really thinks when she sees a toad???
1. am I going to get warts from this encounter?
2. how heavy a load is this toad?
I just love a romantic story with an unhappy ending!!!
ya did good, real dang good!!!
laurie
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I'll take your thoughts as a parable... warts and a load... just a bout sums it up...!
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Loads to think about
I liked what "white stone" said, good advice (remember Jurassic Park, the plants can become violent---the weirdest line in the movie). Ah, if we were collaborating I would write the part where the lily kisses the toad and he becomes a lily and they both float into the sunset on a lily pad!
Well, in my little world of limited imagination that's how it would work. Then the toads would be happy, the lilies would be happy---that whole pond would be a "happening" place! Oh, there is a song by the Moody Blues you should hear. It's called "Nice To Be Here" and it is about a setting like this, with flowers and little animals around a pond. Lots of metaphors and a bit of an allegory too. (From the album "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour")
This poem is an intriguing tale with a load of reasons to ponder the life the toad. He's got a great heart, that little hoppin' fellow....
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two lily's off into the sunset... so you ARE a romantic... Moody Blues, yes, I was around then... can't quite pull the melody out of my head, I'll have to give it a listen again... (Real Rhapsody- I can bring up any song...) glad you liked my toady tale...
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I love the story. It was soft and touching and a tad (har dee har har) on the melancholy side. But if it's a parable... beware the toad eating lilies... they're out there man.
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parable? no, there was this toad and this lily... lol
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