Mother Duck

A human interest story
in the midst of the chaos
the flooding of the Merrimack
in the heart of the city
a struggle for life
a mother risking her own
for her children
we watched helplessly,
hoping, praying
she would be successful

A mother duck
and three ducklings
or at least the remaining three
were caught in the river
the raging torrent
heading toward the debris pile
under the bridge
she fought the strong force
the heavy swift current
pushing them all
fighting to keep her family alive
she found refuge
a pocket of calm water
at the edge of an eddy
but the ducklings were swept
into the current as the whirlpool
spun them around
at the edge
back into the river

She plunged forward
just beyond her child
and shepherded them back
toward shore, safety
repeating this drama
until she got all three up
onto wet land

July 17, 2006 9:22

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 30,010+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.