Are You Sure?
MONDAY
Guess what I just saw?
Not the green of a mallard
Or the mottles of a muscovy
Or the black & white of a Canada goose
(Yes, I saw them too)
I just saw a white duck swimming in our lake
Are your sure?
It’s been years
I’m sure
It wasn’t the neighbor’s white chicken?
Impossible
It was a white duck swimming in our lake
Definitely
Likely
I think . . .
Was it?
Maybe I presumed it was in the water
But it really stood on the shore
Maybe I glanced too short a moment
But I didn’t stop to stare
Perhaps it was a white chicken in the grass
Assuredly no white duck was swimming in our lake
TUESDAY
Hello, white chicken in the grass
WEDNESDAY
Hello, white chicken in the grass
THURSDAY
Hello, white chicken in the grass
FRIDAY
A flash of white out the window
Glistens off the water
Must be the white chicken in the grass
I’ll leer instead of look
I’ll step outside instead of in
I’ll use binoculars instead of 20/20
The head? Rounded
The feathers? White
The location? In the water
Guess what I just saw?
A white duck swimming in our lake
Are you sure?
Hello, white duck in our lake
Have you ever doubted your certainty? Share in the comments.
Read more about uncertainty:
- When It’s More Than an Empty Hole
They’re cutting down the tree today. But the sound I hear through my ears is different than the sound in my heart. - 5 Ways to Stay Safe While Walking in the Dark
Seeing clearly in the dark is an illusion not worth chasing. How do you make it through a dark night? - Am I Really Just Stupid?
Or is this just part of being human? We’re limited but full, vulnerable but safe, stupid but smart. It’s all okay.
I’m thinking of my daughter’s chickens trying to swim and I just have to smile.
Sometimes, it’s best to trust our eyes to tell us the truth. We know what we see no matter how preposterous it may sound at first. Do you remember the children’s song, “There’s a Little White Duck Swimming in the Water”? That’s what immediately came to mind as I read this today. 🙂
Blessings, Lisa!
Sometimes what we are surprised by is what we are actually seeing! When we make assumptions, is when we tend to be wrong, I think! This reminds me to stay open-minded, not making assumptions from our mind, and to listen carefully with our hearts open, too. White ducks are a beautiful site!
I love this! I doubt my certainty all of the time! 🙂
Oooh I love this.
Stranger things have happened, I’m sure. Perhaps it was a goose?
Always! I’ve worn glasses all my life. 🙂
It’s great that you’ve seen a white duck after such a long absence. A couple of pairs of ospreys nest on top of floodlight poles by the baseball diamond in our local park. It’s always a thrill, and a relief, to see them return each spring.
Amazing how we can convince ourself, even our eyesight in not seeing reality. Great example in this story and a good reminder.
Lovely post! You write poetry!
If you can call it that. 🙂
Fun!
I…love…this, Lisa. What a beautiful way to acknowledge our tendency to doubt what we see and know.
We have a black swan in our lake… sometimes. She leaves and returns at her whims.
So fun to be surprised by nature.
It is so true how we doubt what we are seeing. Sometimes it just takes a bit more investigation to confirm what our eyes have seen.
“Is that a coyote in our yard?”
Lisa, how neat. I’m sure I would have done a triple take too.
visiting today from Joanne’s