To view more poems I have examined, click HERE.
The Duck
by Ogden Nash
Behold the duck.
It does not cluck.
A cluck it lacks.
It quacks.
It is specially fond
Of a puddle or pond.
When it dines or sups,
It bottoms ups.
_________________________
Ogden Nash was a poet who remembered to be silly. Poetry is often an art of drama, but Nash – though he occasionally provided a poignant piece or two – delivered a lot of observational comedy. Probably for that reason, and because it is a rare gift in this genre, Nash is one of my favorite poets.
This short eight line piece contains no stanza breaks. Nash uses an AABBCCDD rhyme scheme. The first four lines are concerned wit the sound a duck makes. Lines five through eight focus on where a duck lives and how it eats.
In line seven, Nash describes the duck as performing typical human activities – “dines” and “sups.”
Line eight is Nash’s punch line. Nash carries on with describing a duck’s behavior in terms typically reserved for humans. Humanity might say “bottoms up” while enjoying a drink. Nash connects line eight back to line five and reminds us that the term can mean something more literal when applied to a duck on the water.
Originally published November 23, 2020