For Real Toads: love for Valentine's Day

http://www.frog-clip-art.com

http://www.clker.com/clipart

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A-HOPPIN' AND A-HOPIN'

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Toad went a-courtin’ and he did go, okay,

out to Las Vegas for the Cirque du Soleil—

he wanted a gal who could fly through the air

and catch a trapeze by the skin of her hair—

okay, uh-huh, soleil

~

he saw that gal and she was a bird, oh yes,

with feathers where her hair shoulda been, but yes—

our toad just wanted to marry she, mais oui,

she’s the flyin’est bird Toad ever did see—

but yes, mais oui, oh yes

~

Toad hopped up backstage with a diamond ring

and he’s hoping to get that bird to sing 

and make him hoppier than she could guess

“Mr. Toady, oh, yes, mais oui, but yes!

I will, I'll wear your ring."

~

Responding to the Valentine's Day challenge for the writers' group Imaginary Garden with Real Toads. Kerry obviously had some fun with the prompt, and many other writer-bloggers are hours ahead of me today, so I think they had fun, too. I know I did.

With Real Toads: the Balassi strophe

Sunday Mini-Challenge, Imaginary Garden with Real Toads

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It’s a good thing I’ve seen Cirque du Soleil, or I wouldn’t believe how high this Hungarian dancer can jump.

This is Kerry’s idea of a mini-challenge but it’s more maxi than mini to me. I’m supposed to look at this photo as an inspiration for a poem. Thinking of those young men jumping four feet up in the air is more apt to give me a heart attack. I can’t even jump out of my recliner without pushing the eject button.

I looked at the photo for a long time, trying to summon something romantic from the depths of my irritable bowel, thinking of all the angst and anguish of my youth, my broken hearts, the hearts I broke, the emotional pain of it all.

It didn't help. These Cirquesque dancers make me think of osteoporosis and the pain of breaking one of the vertebrae in my back.

So...about the Sunday Mini-Challenge and the Balassi strophe. Balassi was a multilingual Hungarian poet in the 16th century, who wrote everything from hymns to erotica, and this stanza form is named in his honor as recognition, I assume, of his work in one or another of those fields.

Below is my submission for this week, which is neither.

when he nods, my heart leaps

then he frowns: my heart weeps.

I should dance with another—

he knows me far too well

and he can always tell

anger I just can't smother.

he makes me so annoyed!

I really should avoid

leading roles with my brother.

Reflections outside and in, can be found in Las Vegas

A few years ago, we stayed at the Red Rock Resort, which is built so the windows reflect the nearby hills.

Photos by Richard Schear and Kay Davies

Posted for Weekend Reflections,
a wonderful meme that's soon to be moving to California with James and Vicki

To see what reflections the other participants found, please click
HERE

One of the highlights of the trip was seeing Canada's Cirque du Soleil perform a Beatles tribute called "Love"!