To a Waterfowl

The poem which took me most by surprise, as well as amusement, was “To a Waterfowl” by Donald Hall. At first it is amusing because Mr. Hall addresses his all of his poems,

“Women with hats like the rear ends of pink ducks

Applauded you, my poems”

And then he goes on about the husbands of those very women who like his poems, and how he meets these men on airplanes. He touches upon on how the husbands react to him, engaging in small talk, mockingly. But in turn, he describes himself as the one who comes up on top, driving in limousines to wellness clubs with fine h'orderves and drinks.

Woman seem to be his biggest audience.

And they say, “hah-hah? My goodness, Mr. Hall, but you certainly do have an imagination, huh?”

“Thank you, indeed,” I say; “it brings in the bacon”

He then again addresses his poems in the 5^th and 6^th stanzas.

But in different light; now he is in a motel, with a flask and the film Godzilla Sucks Mt. Fuji.

But hey, he says he’s feeling superior.

Next, he addresses whom I believe to be is the reader, or just an average civilian in blue jeans, a group of average Joes maybe.

 “Will you ever be old and dumb, like your creepy parents?

Not you, not you, not you, not you, not you, not you.”

Before reading this poem I did not know what a “waterfowl” was. After looking it up, I found that it meant “ducks, geese, or other large aquatic birds” which in regards to the poem entirely, was the icing on the cake for me. Donald Hall is clearly witty, which makes this poem a satire for sure. He has literary freshness, conversing with his poetry as if it were a close friend, creating dialogue. His wording directs us through a short story line, with clever twists that work like a double edged sword. 

Gabrielle Buzaid