watching ducks

they are not graceful                                      

they stumble about
like happy little feathered drunks
bumping and jostling and stepping
on each other
while they carry on noisily
and nearly
ceaselessly
no
they are not graceful
except
when they are swimming
or
in the case of the indian runner
when they are running
but
they are
full of a kind of grace
they are
pleasant                                                                    

endearing
contagiously joyous
benign
peaceful
earnest
and so
i think it most important work
to idle
watching ducks
as often as possible