you okay handling toads? she asked
and i said, yes, i think so
there’s a pair stuck in the pool
where last night they kept us awake
with their raucous sex life
we laughed, tired
so i stripped off and under
looked through murky eyes
for the shape of clasping amphibians
him gripped to her—unfairly, i thought—
as they swam, confused, darted down,
strangely elusive for their size
skimmer net in hand
i scooped deep, got lucky: a rescue!
not like sam who we lost last time
no, today together
and alive in our water skins
we laughed, delighted
This is the quickest poem I’ve ever written… probably because the whole scene unfolded so fast and because Liv, my housemate, was hilarious in her approach.
From toads in the pool to poem on the page, it all happened in under 12 minutes: 2 minutes of emergency skinny-dip rescue, 10 minutes of writing.
I carried the delight and success of this moment, shared with Liv, through the whole day. It was also a little healing after the earlier death of another toad (I still feel responsible, as I thought she’d managed to leave the pool, but she hadn’t).
And yes, I added some serious filter to that photo—for obvious reasons. 😂
PHOTO: Olivia McMurray
This was an impromptu snap to capture a memory.
See Olivia’s extraordinary photography here.
© 2025 WILD YOGA AFRICA
