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Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. Leonard Cohen

Monday, October 17, 2011

Ducks and Swans

image courtesy of Magpie Tales
I was never beautiful
Never swam with the swans
their soft feathers
graceful, white necks blooming with
bright pink buds of
boys' affections
Beautiful girls turned heads
I turned pages of books
My lovers were paper
vellum princes
who didn't mind if the princess was
too fat, too skinny, too, too, too
What if the ugly duckling 
never grew into a swan 
but into an ugly duck?
Would anyone love it then?
or would it be hung 
by its gangly neck
in the window of a Chinese restaurant?

submitted for Magpie Tales 87

23 comments:

Helen said...

Mouse, I'm betting you were and are quite beautiful ... your Magpie is lovely and bittersweet.

Brian Miller said...

oy, i sure hope not...as he rubs his neck...

hyperCRYPTICal said...

Excellent write lolamouse, and never judge a duck by its feathers for it often hides its beauty beneath.

Anna :o]

Berowne said...

"Would anyone love it then?
or would it be hung by its gangly neck
in the window of a Chinese restaurant?"
Still loved, still desired, but in a different way...

Christine said...

awesome write, swans are overrated

dave from the "male" room said...

YOU WERE (AND ARE) ALWAYS BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Tumblewords: said...

I agree with Christine!

Isabel Doyle said...

Ugly is only another word for beautiful!

Dave King said...

Inspired. Wish I'd thought of that line! Well done, you.

Intelliblog said...

Hmmm, some people LOVE ducks (not to mention mice...)! Swans are overrated.
Loved your poem.

Kathy B. said...

I like your transition of "white necks blooming with / bright pink buds of / boys' affections" and the flavours of vellum and gangly.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

What a thought. One rarely goes to the darker side of the duckling. Paper princes are sometimes the most romatic.

JustRex said...

Your mind is beautiful. Who cares what others really think? With your brains you could buy the restaurant and hang whoever you liked in the window.

Pat Tillett said...

And this is why high school reunions are considered the great equalizers. Time has an amazing ability to even the playing field.
GREAT poem.

Maxwell Mead Williams Robinson Barry said...

wow.

love your take, very creatively fun.

Doctor FTSE said...

Touching and sad, and I agree with Dave (above)

Maggie said...

It has been said that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder...beautiful read.

Trellissimo said...

Looks like the lads disagree, Lolamouse. Me too! Great Magpie.

Jinksy said...

A poignant view of life... many of us ducks can empathise! ♥

Arnab Majumdar said...

I hope not... :(

Cheers,
Arnab Majumdar on SribbleFest.com

Rachel Hoyt said...

I am very sad for those ducks right now. I've been photographing ducks quite a bit lately and now I don't think I can eat one again for a really long time. It's been a long time already too.

Steve Isaak said...

Excellent, effective in its sentiment/s work.

Laura Maria said...

Excellent poem (as always)! I can relate to this so much :p