Dead Duck

This dead duck was hers and mine
caught off guard by a fleeting arrow
Flung from nowhere, drawn in
creating sorrow
"Tomorrow is another day", they
say without a reading
Eating vegetables on Thanksgiving 'cause
the turkey here is bleeding
If our paths had crossed this holiday,
why we'd by having duck
Fleshing out lines of forgiveness,
biting till our teeth got stuck
Struck forever dumb,
I watch your raft float ever farther
Your back is turned, and so I've learned
the lesson of my father:

Bother not with thoughts of jealousy
for they will slow you down
Find a new hope built in happiness
and throw aside your frown
Drown not in tears of sorrow,
look at what life you have left
It's a lot, so thank your maker
He has taken all the heft
Brought upon by guilty burden
and sustained by youthful lust
Learn to focus on what matters
and in Jesus place your trust

So I nod my head and tie my shoes
and start off down the road
Slowed by nothing but my vices,
carrying a lighter load
As I spin the globe beneath me,
I see V-shapes in the air
Heading south for warmer places,
knowing not what will be there
In this I'm the bird that migrates
I know I can't change the weather
Whether promises mean anything,
I mean to live them better
Fetters broken, doors flung open,
I learned that lesson to the letter
"Later" is what I was hoping for,
but I know that "Now" is better