The Duckling
/He was a teen boy about my age
From the next-door neighbor
But we were literally strangers
In my memory we never spoke
To each other before that day
So, I was perplexed when one afternoon
He showed up unexpectedly
Standing at the front door entrance
He carefully held a duckling
On his cupped palms
Like presenting a precious gift
Sunlight slanting in from outside
Reflected from its fluffy yellow down
Turned the baby duck into
A piece of glistening gold
Your duckling is wandering in the yard
I was baffled as the yard
Was its usual playground
Didn’t know what to say
I apologized for my duckling
And accepted it
Tried to be poised but still awkward
As that was the first time I received
Something from his hands and
In those austere bygone days
It was discouraged
For girls to socialized with boys
I believed he probably peeked through
The window from his house sometimes
Like I did to explore each other secretly
That day I supposed he could not resist his curiosity and
Kidnapped my duckling as an excuse to come over
By Shih-Fang Wang
From: United States