We have come to the end of an era, my friends, as our Imaginary Garden comes to a close. I remember, in 2011, when Robb Lloyd and Kerry cooked up the idea of Real Toads. Poets United had a large membership then, and the vision for Toads was a smaller site, twenty members maximum, who would work more closely together and strive towards the growth of its poets. It has fulfilled that goal admirably. It has been such a pleasure and privilege to find myself in the Pond, reading the work of such talented poets, and getting to add my “ribbet!” from the wobbly edge of my lily-pad.
Our core members have included some amazing poets:
Kerry, Marian, Susie, Shay, Kelli, Joy, and all the others. Everyone wrote with
such energy, such joy. It was a glorious ride. Sometimes, we flew! Since then,
many Toads have joined us; they swam with us awhile, and some swam on. Each
Toad has added something special to the Pond that has enriched us all.
As we get ready to close the curtains on a glorious
near-decade, I asked Kerry and Marian for their thoughts and reflections,
before we put this tired old toad to bed.
The Rain Has Liberty
The grass bends its back in the stillness of the rain
in its endless falling, the yellow grass
leaning away from the wind in endless yellow rows
like soldiers marching through mud, and dying
but behind the fallen, are ranks and ranks
of the living, golden in youth but dying too.
And the rain has liberty; and the mountains
open their mouths and drink; and the grass
is heavy with seed; and this is the way of things
because the dead are always with us
we march in time in our ranks to the grave
where the yellow grass grows tall in the rain.
Kerry: This is a poem I wrote during NaPoWriMo,
April 2019, an example of a poem I would not have written if it were not for a
Real Toad prompt.
Marian: Kerry, this poem of yours amazes. I think I
might save it in my verse jar (wink).
Sherry: It is beautiful! Kerry, my friend,
will you share your thoughts about this expedition we have made? When you look
back, did you have any idea of the journey you were embarking on in 2011? What
were the joys, and the highlights? What stands out for you?
Kerry: Such questions do not have simple answers,
Sherry. When Robb devised Real Toads (the site was his brainchild), his vision
was for a closed community of invited poets to work together, behind the scenes
of Poets United, but it did not really take off. I asked him for permission to
repurpose the site as an open forum, with a core membership, and he handed it
over to me lock, stock and barrel, for which I am eternally grateful. We had a very
slow start, but over the years I managed to persuade many remarkable poets to
join our ranks and, I believe, the blogsite found its niche in the world of
online blogging.
To our advantage, Sherry, you were one of the
founder members and your passion for writing, as well as ties to the greater
poetry community was a great source of energy to get us all up and running.
Persuading Marian to partner with me was also instrumental in bringing the
vision to fruition. Without your loyalty, love and commitment, I would never
have made it this far alone.
Sherry: I found the online poetry community with such joy, back then. It galvanized my writing, which had been flagging for lack of support. I am eternally grateful for the support and encouragement all of you have given to me all these years.
Marian: Kerry, I still remember you reaching out to
me with an invitation to join the Imaginary Garden. I was surprised and
flattered and right away knew that this opportunity would be special. For a
while I had been engaged in greeting new members for Robb at Poets United,
which involved sleuthing to determine if folks were real humans who were really
writing poetry. That was fine, but the prospect of an intimate group where we
all provided support and gentle critique in order to develop and grow our
skills? That was amazing. It still is amazing. Thank you, Sister-Poet, for
including me in your early vision. I’m extraordinarily grateful.
Kerry: What stands out for me, and what is the most
difficult thing to let go of is April Poetry Writing Month in the Imaginary
Garden. It was the most work, but also the most rewarding part of every year
for me. We have a total of 210 Poems in April prompts – 7 years running! The
first time we offered a prompt a day, I thought I had overshot the mark and it
would never work but every year, when I asked the toads to contribute, everyone
rallied around. Those months were the most magical times spent surrounded by
the creative energy of so many writers.
Marian: Agree! April in the Garden is nothing short
of magical.
Sherry: I love it, too. I always try to do a poem a day in April, and it has been awesome to have a forum with intriguing prompts to spur us on. How has this community and this site impacted your own work, Kerry?
Kerry: I can honestly say that, before the inception
of Real Toads, I was more a scribbler of painfully unoriginal verses, just
dabbling in a new found hobby of online blogging, and working very much in a
vacuum. This was why I thought it so important to create a network of writers.
My own journey to becoming a poet began back in July 2011. I believe that I
have managed to develop my poetic voice and style to a level which would simply
not have been possible without the help, guidance and example of all the amazing
poets I have met along the way. There are too many to name, but so many people
close to my heart who taught me, above all, to believe in myself and to push
myself to a higher level of expression than I had thought possible.
Sherry: Wow! That amazes me! When I stumbled upon
you back then, I was blown away by your talent. I thought you must have been
writing for years!
Is there anything else you’d like to say, Kerry? Our
fellow Toads are all agog, looking at you from their lily-pads, as we always
have. Has Real Toads fulfilled the vision you had for it?
Kerry: Real Toads is a place in my mind, not a
thing. It began as a dream and became a reality in its own right, far beyond
anything I may have planned. The Imaginary Garden contains the intellectual
property of some of the finest online poets of the 21st century,
true influencers in this esoteric realm. I do want to reassure all contributors
that the site itself will remain available as an archive, easily accessible and
open to all. My hope is that the collected prompts, challenges and articles of
the Toads will continue to inspire writers in the future. The aspect that will
no longer be offered in the new year is that of weekly challenges and prompts.
In that respect, the Real Toads are vacating their lily pads for a
well-deserved retirement.
Sherry: We are very grateful Toads will remain as an
archive, Kerry. Thank you for the gift to poets that this site has been
right from the beginning. Now, Maid Marian, will you share a poem with us?
Marian: Gosh, I feel like a huge number of my poems
were birthed from challenges in the Imaginary Garden. Here is one I wrote
prompted by Kerry, who shared a Man Ray photo, “Woman with Long Hair,” a couple
years back. It’s an awdl gywydd, a Welsh form introduced by Pirate Grace in our
first year, and I have written approximately eleventy billion poems in this
lovely form since.
They’ll Catch Up
In the End
Lies
tucked in a plait of hair
no
longer fair but greying
nest
of untruths tightly made
a
braid that’s meant for staying
Roots
like mirrors echoing
ornery
knowing strands forced
into
submission until
no
one will know which is worse
The
lie or the lying man
who
can simply smile and say
empty
prayers for your long hair
let
down to air lies today
Sherry: Marian, how gorgeous! What a journey this has been! Tell
us what you remember, as you look back. Hasn’t it been amazing?
Marian: It really has been amazing! The prompts and
festivities and camaraderie, it’s all really memorable and incredible. I’m
thinking of all the different kinds of prompts we’ve shared, and the
collaborations and the interviews. It’s all great. But the friendships born in
this space, that’s the best part. And I will surely carry the hearts of many of
my friends here, and because we are friends we’ll head off together to some new
adventure.
Sherry: Yes, the friendships will endure. You have
been here from the beginning. How has this site impacted your own work?
Marian: It’s hard to quantify how much I have
received from the Garden and its dwellers. We have all grown in our writing so
much, it’s easy to observe that. Would we have done so if we had not gathered
here? Probably not, at least speaking for myself. It’s been the constant stream
of challenges and encouragement that has kept me going and insisted that I
always keep improving my work. Working with all of you has helped me to be
confident and forthright with my small contribution so that I keep throwing
verses out into the world.
Sherry: Do
you have a message for our fellow Toads, my friend?
Marian: Just that I love you all and have been
honored to stand up my own work next to all of yours. Thank you.
Sherry: Thank you, my friend. Your
contribution has inspired us all.
The other day I wrote a whimsical poem about the
Garden, to Kim Russell's prompt, to write a poem in
the repetitive style of Wendy Cope’s
“The Uncertainty of the Poet”. It feels like the right one to include here, on
this bittersweet day of endings and remembering.
TOAD SONGS
Have you heard the Toads
in the Garden?
They are all sweetly singing.
In the Garden, Toads,
singing sweetly -
how we will miss them!
We will miss the Garden Toads;
their songs gladdened our hearts.
Our gladdened hearts will remember
our Pond years with gratitude.
We Toads sing our gratitude
to Kerry, our Head Toad.
Never has a Toad sung
more sweetly than she.
From our lily pads, we sing
Toad praises forever.
Thank you and thank you
for all the poems in this Garden.
Never has a froggy Pond
sounded so sweet.
The singing grows fainter;
eventide draws near.
Thank you and thank you
for every Toad song.
Have you heard the Toads
in the Garden?
They are all sweetly singing.
In the Garden, Toads,
singing sweetly -
how we will miss them!
We will miss the Garden Toads;
their songs gladdened our hearts.
Our gladdened hearts will remember
our Pond years with gratitude.
We Toads sing our gratitude
to Kerry, our Head Toad.
Never has a Toad sung
more sweetly than she.
From our lily pads, we sing
Toad praises forever.
Thank you and thank you
for all the poems in this Garden.
Never has a froggy Pond
sounded so sweet.
The singing grows fainter;
eventide draws near.
Thank you and thank you
for every Toad song.
Sherry: When I first joined the Toads, I
wondered if I could keep up. I was in awe of the very talented Toads. But you were all kind, and told me that every voice
was valued, and so I kept on. The result: my poems and I grew, my voice grew
stronger. I know Toads is what encouraged that voice.
Soon I will hit “Publish” for the very last time at Toads.
Ouch! What I take away is gratitude for the journey we have made. Being a Toad is one of the best gifts I have ever received.
I want to leave the closing words for Kerry. Kerry,
it was your words, and your vision, that began this amazing almost-ten year
journey.
Take it away! With our deepest gratitude for
all you have given to us all these years, the gift of time and hard work behind
the scenes that you gave so selflessly and generously to our beloved Pond. No
one could have done it better!
Kerry: What is there left for me to say, except a
most heartfelt and sincere THANK YOU? Thank you for all the words, the
friendship, the support and, most importantly, the trust that everyone placed
in me to do my best as Creative Manager of Real Toads. It has been a real
honour and achievement.
