They float
but never stray
rubberneck
with a certain naïveté
dry on the surface
as if they don't belong
I'd love to hold one
under the shallow
their showy
feathers mat down
until they are rat-like
as a drowned cat
I never was one
to begin with
Tess Kincaid
October, 2011
Listen to this reading by R.A.D. Stainforth. Tell me if his voice is not smooth as butter...
Never an Ugly Duckling..No way!
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Nice twists in this. Neat.
ReplyDeleteJamie.
Depp's Pirates phrase, "like which fury Hell hath no?" comes to mind...
ReplyDeletewell done....I adore ducks, have had many as pets over the years...amazing creatures :)
ReplyDeleteDanger lurks under the shallow ...
ReplyDeleteYes, like butta...
ReplyDeleteWonderfully, ummm, disturbing just a little. I love your work, Tess. I really do.
The reading makes it ever more so disturbing in its sensuousness.
ReplyDeleteNice edge!
ReplyDeleteA 'classic', Tess.
ReplyDeleteTess- As always, a creative and unique take on the prompt.
ReplyDeletethe picture of "rat like as a drowned cat" certainly stays with me along with the photo image. Say, did we get a Ball report re: you and Stainforth?? Ooops, shouldnt quite have said it that way methinks but you know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteSuki, oh, you mean did Stainforth give me a private poetry reading, after the ball, with the sun rising over the Scioto? Yes...he did...
ReplyDeletevery edgy! Great photo!
ReplyDeleteA little bit 'yikes' this week!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, yikes. Sometimes that oil gland itches you know, and I just have to poke it with my bill.
ReplyDeleteA fine, fine poem, Tess-- perhaps partly written by an evil twin, yes? This photo had an immense impact on me. I loved especially,
ReplyDeleteThey float
but never stray
rubberneck
with a certain naïveté
dry on the surface
as if they don't belong
Wonderful! xxxj
All kinds of neat though slightly disturbing twists here--rubbernecking beneath the surface.
ReplyDeleteinteresting piece Tess, I'm surprised -- a shadow of frustration here, perhaps even of envy... of course, that could be only my perception, colored through my personal lens...
ReplyDeleteThis piece takes me several
ReplyDeletedirections, ducks as decoys,
young men as cannon fodder,
women as predators, still angry
about a case of swimmer's itch,
not happy with things or people
or creatures who do not seem to
belong, but still there they are,
until the irritation becomes action.
As to the "one" you never were,
it might be duckling, as suggested,
or cat, or rat, or just malcontent.
I have never enjoyed eating duck;
always too greasy, dark, and chewy.
But several shades of darkness
lurking under the willows
this week.
I do love ducks- and I usually keep some for pets; but also enjoy eating them.Thanks.
ReplyDeleteVery nicely done, Tess.
ReplyDeleteKay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel
In Korea they used to have puppy dogs hung up like that. Or you could pick out one in a pen behind the restaurant.
ReplyDeleteI think Tess is simply saying she can't swim!
ReplyDeleteThere is an edge to your knife in this recipe Tess
ReplyDeleteDear Tess: Ducks-R-Us! Been called a duck on a number of occasions and find that I like it! It's ducky! "don't belong" cause they are a duck out of water! I get it! :)
ReplyDeleteChicco, my friend...I can always count on you to get me...
ReplyDeleteI never was one to begin with... lovely! and beautifully told as well.
ReplyDeleteI have never trusted ducks ... their beady eyes stare you out ...
ReplyDeleteMy dear aunt likes to call me "Swannie" on occasion...sometimes I just don't fit in...
ReplyDeleteDucks to water, where to next?
ReplyDeleteGreat write Tess ...
Love the darkness under the water.
def some interesting images in your words...not sure i want to confirm the rat like...
ReplyDeleteSo many decoys, so few strayers. Enjoyed this!
ReplyDeleteIt started out so sweet and then they were ugly as drowned cats...loved it..lol
ReplyDeleteThis is the second poem I've read
ReplyDeleteby a woman about not feeling too
friendly towards a lovely creature.
Ducks do get lost in a crowd... and you seem more swan like anyway - a bit more independent. :)
ReplyDeleteThe female of the species can oft be the more violent of the two!
ReplyDeleteWow, Tess. There's a touch of macabre infused in this, made all the more real by the goosebumps I feel right now! Interesting take...
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Arnab Majumdar on SribbleFest.com
I like this very much. I guess I like being discomforted!
ReplyDeleteCatfish, Thanks for the link...I wrote this with the Andersen story in mind...
ReplyDeleteas always.... beautiful!
ReplyDeleteJJRod'z
I think I could find something different in many readings of your poem Tess. Intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI could spread his voice over toast....I wanted to let you know Tess that I have a little something for you over at my blog....you do not have to follow the rules for the award...i know you are extremely busy...i just want you to know that you are awesome! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carrie! You're right, I think Stainforth would be delicious spread on toast with a little bit of orange marmalade.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the simplicity expressed
ReplyDeleteeasy flow,
ReplyDeletewell penned.
Awww...don't like what is happening to the duckies this week!! :(
ReplyDeleteI cannot swim even with a rubber duckie on the shallow side of the pool!! :)
One never regrets the visit here.
ReplyDeleteAh, that captures the image perfectly. Fact, fiction, horror . . .
ReplyDeleteThank you for kind and generous comments my friends. It's always a pleasure to share my stuff here. You're the best.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, inherently intense, disturbing (in a good way) - and, yes, there is a good way: it indicates the writer knows what they're doing. =)
ReplyDelete