Ode to Toad

ASU Student: Justin F. Norton

Oh Prairie toad, Oh Prairie toad

I have missed you, my dear friend

In the darkness, I sit in the sand

I can hear you, all across the land

Your voice is so wonderful, and so low

I can feel it in my chest, oh you are a real pro

As you seek out a mate, in the middle of the night

To sit and listen to you, fills me with great delight

I feel my inner child, prancing all over again

I am splashing in rain puddles, my dear kin

I see you in my mind, and I feel your low squat

The rain has been a real blessing for you, and I like it a lot

You have renewed my faith, deep in the circle of life

We all have to journey our own way, and rise above the strife

It’s been difficult for a few years, and you have been through so much

I feel your pain and your difficulty, and I am so deeply touched

I am so glad you are here now, and I will listen as long as I can

I will try and share your story, with all my fellow man

Most don’t really know, and they haven’t a few seconds

To step outside their door, and immerse themselves in your presence

Enough about the past, and I have no control over the future

But you are here now, and your song feels like a suture

For some of my wounds, and for my disconnect from the circle of life

I am happy to get whole again, from the deep cut of a metaphorical knife

To engage with you, in the universal dance we all share

Your song takes me away, from all my irrelevant cares

Oh Prairie Toad, Oh Prairie Toad, I thank you tonight

By filling the prairie with song, my heart has flown to high heights