Poetic Asides put out a call for welcoming poems. Apropos, since Robert and his wife Tammy welcomed their daughter Hannah Marie into the world this week! I used a form for the first time, one which builds from one syllable to ten (and in this case, down again); however, I cannot remember what the form is called, sorry. This poem is also at my poetic home, Poets United. Peace, Amy
The Mallards
I
welcome
distraction,
unexpected
moments in life:
A sudden coffee jones,
his surprise kiss on my neck
leading to unscheduled bliss.
Moonlit nights, quiet patio talks…
And every day, two ducks who waddle by.
Mallards come and go as they please,
making their way to the pond,
diving for daily meals.
Ducks are good neighbors,
unflappable.
Perfect mates,
souls at
peace.
© 2011 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Sharp Little Pencil 
booguloo
cool.
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Michael. Just saw them again tonight, happily camped out just out of reach of a leashed cat! They weren’t taunting the old cat, just being content.
vivenne blake
Nice double etheree. I too like ducks.
Sharp Little Pencil
THAT’S what it’s called. I knew it was something like “jamboree,” ha ha. I’m glad you like ducks, because they say the nicest things about you, Viv!
Debbie
I truly loved this. Could see those ducks and their peace. 🙂 Thank you!
Sharp Little Pencil
Nature is a constant source of delight. Thanks, Debbie!
Roger Green
ducky
Sharp Little Pencil
Quack you very much!
Becca Givens
Amy – I really like this … different for me … but I may give it a try.
Love the idea of ducks incorporated into the unexpected pleasures ~~
Sharp Little Pencil
Becca, while the counting of syllables is tedious, once it comes together, it’s quite satisfying. I’m mostly free verse, as you may know, so to come up with a form is a minor victory for me. And these ducks do stroll by, every day, hanging out on my neighbor’s porch for hours…
Renee Espriu
Beautiful piece, Amy! Love nature, animals, birds…all of it and it gives me pause to think of my recent trip home and a visit to the San Diego Zoo. I have pictures of ducks, of course!
Sharp Little Pencil
Ducks are lovely. They waddle and quack and are quite friendly, I’ve discovered since moving next to the river! I’m a city girl at heart, but Madison has both country and city combined.
penpusherpen
Loved the composition and the mention of ducks, 🙂 … Just popped by from Chloes site. and enjoyed my visit. Pen x
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks for stopping by! I’ll check out your blog, glad you are fond of ducks! Quack, A
Buddah Moskowitz
Dug this. Great – love dem mallards. Peace, mosk
Sharp Little Pencil
Wow, everyone is crazy about the ducks! Glad you are one of them, because then you are more likely to visit! Madison is gorgeous, and we have a guest couch, hint, hint, Your sistah, Ameleh
Joseph Harker
In terms of forms, I like the oulipo terminology of “snowball” and “melting snowball” for poems like this. The original is usually with words (first line one word, second line two words, etc.; vice versa for the melting variety), but there are variations with the same principle. Maybe there’s another specific form that this one fits, but I don’t know it. 🙂
In terms of the poem itself: great analogy! A human build-up, a duck build-down, and really the two are the same kind of thing. (Love “unflappable” for birds. Heh.)
Sharp Little Pencil
Joseph, leave it to you for catching the “unflappable” comment! And thanks for explaining the form, which is named nicely (if a bit rudely for those of us who… never mind!). The ducks were my favorite, because they are fixtures at our apartment complex, since we live by a lake. So glad you dropped by! Amy
Sharp Little Pencil
Kim, I had no idea this poem would affect you so much. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Especially pleased as this was my first time with the “snowball,” as Joseph called it. Amy
Alice Audrey
And they don’t make a flap over unscheduled bliss, but they can be a bit noisy.
Sharp Little Pencil
Ha ha ha, the music of romance is different for each species!
beespoetry
I love poems about nature! Especially ducks: they seem so cheerful all the time 🙂 Nothin’ like a good quack to liven up the day.
“Moonlit nights, quiet patio talks” -ah, we are the same! Walking on a foggy beach at midnight, sitting on the pier, talking until the sun rises… these are the important things in life.
Sharp Little Pencil
As they say, the best things in life are free… and it’s true!
The mallards are part of our family now. There’s also a deer who is terribly fond of birdseed, so my friend Lynn keeps it scattered on the ground for her. She also ate my Christmas cactus that was getting started on the porch, but I don’t care. At least the rats stay away!!
Madeleine Begun Kane
Wonderful! I especially liked “his surprise kiss on my neck
leading to unscheduled bliss.” and “unflappable.”
Sharp Little Pencil
You picked out all the parts I found the most fun. We are on the same plane, Mad!! Thanks so much, Amy