Ode to a Toad

and let's write today.

Have you seen a toad yet? Photo by author

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I spot a toad
under a jack-in-the-pulpit,
hold my breath

hop, hop
hop, hop
then freeze

I squat down
a closer look
bumpy back
shines in the sun

pick him up? no,
instead, I sit in the dirt
and write

I remember as a child
hearing
put that toad down,
you don’t want warts

I laugh

to be a toad
jumping up and down
worthy of praise.

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“Think as I think,’ said a man, ‘or you are abominably wicked; you are a toad.’ And after I thought of it, I said, ‘I will, then, be a toad.”

- Stephen Crane

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Run to Write Community Gatherings:

Thank you! See you today at 11 am (EST)

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Online: Each Monday at 11 am (EST). We’ll gather in silent solidarity to work on our creative projects, starting with a writing topic to warm up. No experience is necessary.

You’re invited! Use the link below each Monday to enter our Zoom room, and feel free to invite a friend.

Let’s write & grow together.

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In-person: Move. Write. Connect.

Summer session starts Wednesday, July 8th. Three spots remain. For details and to register, click the button below.