a poem about the beautiful Mandarin duck and the not-so-beautiful Muscovy duck
On Dappling Pond
White, crisp half-moon,
the blue crested melt
to ruddy hind swoop.
Tawny wings tucked under,
belted by royal blue.
Sleek chest, brazen
blue as ocean-deep.
Neck ringed in
maple majesty lace.
Enlightened,
resplendent,
spectacular.
All nature’s paintbrushes!
Were they hog hair
or badger? Were they
rinsed clean in muddy
waters encircled by sawgrass;
sandy-fawn stippled?
The Mandarin navigates,
whisper-smooth and waggle,
the Carolina grasswort; rising
variegated greens
wind-bent and skyward.
Mucsovy regards the
radiant fowl,
disturbed at such
reckless abuse of color…
for one dappling duck?
Pinkish beak dipped under,
up with a snail? Asnail!
Vexed, perturbed,
Muscovy waddles, plops
with a splash and a glide,
nature’s sculptor’s pride,
its gnarly head held high.
I hope you enjoyed On Dappling Pond (I am quite fond of this one) and will stick around to read some more of my poetry. I have made it easy to find ones you may like and you can find links to poems on the poetry tab, or use the navigation menu and search features on the homepage. Thank you again…what did you think of On Dappling Pond?
Christina M. Ward 
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