Da New Moon                                                   11/1/16

It’s the beginning of November and the full moon has come and gone leaving the da new moon hidden in darkness. With only the light of the stars and my flashlight to help me, I search for my friends behind the washing machine. Toad turns out to be a girl toad, whom I now call Toad-dee. I recognized Toad-dee’s feminine charms when a very large male toad, I’ve named Toad-dah, appeared under the mid- October full moon. The noticeable size difference clued me in on their gender identification. At first I was shocked by the boy’s size and felt a little scared of Toad-dah, until I noticed Toad-dee’s enchanting smile. Then, I began to observe a toad romance blossom like a lotus blooming in the mud puddle between my door and the washer. Toad-dee was happy and I was happy for her.

Oblivious to my presence, the October full moon allowed me to glance upon their meeting on the sidewalk, near the washing machine. Perhaps it was love at first sight which seemed to leave both toads unafraid of staring at each other under the moonlight while I walked between them.

When returning from the bathroom , stopping by the washer to have a late night chat with Toad-dee, she was gone. No sound or sight of her, I guessed it was date night for Toad-dee and Toad-dah. Feeling a bit concerned, I walked the few steps to my door deciding to have to have a nice woman to toad talk when she got home.

When Toad-dee did not show up for a couple of nights, I started to worry about her. Then one evening, the squooshy, bumpity-bump sounds from behind the washing machine seemed louder than usual and I was glad to notice both of them had returned home. When I had a chance to chat with Toad-dee alone, I did gently warn her not to jump in to things too quickly. She smiled her enchanting smile and I stopped worrying. Now, on occasion, Toad-dah stands guard outside my door like a big, bad bouncer at a night club. He’s a stoic fellow, a Toad of few words, but quite handsome and daunting when he’s on duty. When he chooses to stand guard all night, Toad-dee greets me on the sidewalk again and we have our usual late night chat. On special evenings, she still enjoys dressing up in her stardust vest ushering me to the heavenly theatre above while Toad-dah stands guard ensuring our safe, earthly return. Life goes on, the moon shifting the tides of love and fate from one phase to the next.