For years I felt
like a brown duck
dabbling and upending
in poetic shallow water,
tugging at words and lines
like duckweed and worms,
pulling them into forms.
One day, I felt the span
of my wings grow
and began to soar
with sonnets.
Kim M. Russell, 11th January 2021
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Quadrille: Dabbling in Poetry
De is our host this Monday and she has us dabbing and dabbling quadrilles, poems of exactly 44 words, including a word of her choice, which is dab, or any form of it.
writing in north norfolk 
Oh, Kim. This is just gorgeous, and a feeling I know well. Your poems always, always SOAR.
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Thank you, De, for your kind words!
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Kim, I adore this and the transformation from brown duck to swan! Your words are always so lovely.
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Thank you very much, Linda!
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This is absolutely stunning, Kim 😀 I love the gradual progression from duck to swan and the image of “dabbling and upending in poetic shallow water,”.. I have always admired your style of writing! 💝💝
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Thank you so much, dear Sanaa!
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I always felt your verses have wings… love the reference to Andersen’s fairy tale.
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Thanks so much, Bjorn. As you know, I am a fan of Andersen’s tales.
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This transformation is beautiful Kim! ❤️
I too know the feeling of “tugging at words and lines
like duckweed and worms”
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Thank you, Helene!
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What a wonderful image, to soar with sonnets! I really identify with these lines:
tugging at words and lines
like duckweed and worms,
pulling them into forms.
The more I do this, sometimes, the more exasperated I get. Perhaps the sonnet gives you the freedom to let the words flow…
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The sonnet was always my favourite form and I found myself slipping into it again and again, in its different guises., but I enjoy exploring other forms.
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What a wonderful feeling to have, and so well expressed–ugly duckling to swan!
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Thank you, Merril!
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You’re very welcome.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwqmlrVGa54. SMILE 🙂
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🙂
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Beautiful imagery, Kim. I’ve only known you as a swan.
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Thank you kindly, Lisa! 🙂
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🙂
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Fly little swan, fly!!
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🙂
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Ah! Lovely 🙂 I remember learning a poem at school about ducks dabbling something something something up tails all!
Your poem reminded me of it. I’ll try to find it.
I love the image of tugging at the wormy words.
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Thank you, Jane. I had Danny Kaye in my head when I wrote this, 🙂
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A song from Children’s Favourites 🙂
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Found it though you probably know it
https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/ducks-ditty
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I remember with affection!
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🙂
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There was an absurd cartoon I found years ago. The caption was\ “never give a duck a loaded gun”. Your lovely poem shook something loose ten chambers deep. You amaze me with your love of sonnets. The Haibun and tanka do that for me. Free verse, for me, is tennis with the net down.
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The sonnet is an old favourite, Glenn, but I love experimenting with all kinds of forms, especially quadrille and haiku.
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Great work, KR. You soar. Congrats!
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Soaring is fun for a while, but it’s fun to be a dabbling duck!
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And soar you did, Miss Kim. Your work is beautiful.
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Thank you so much, Bev!
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Poetry being so much shorter than other forms (a mere 44 words in this case), you’d think it’d be easy – but every new verse feels like tugging on duckweed and worms. Your quadrille gives all us ducklings / swan-lets hope.
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Thank you, Peter!
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That must have been a long time ago, Kim, because you’ve reached the atmosphere.
Fantastic.
-David
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You’re too kind, David. 🙂
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i felt the twang of the fairy tale in your words.
wonderful qudrille
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Thank you!
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In real life we’re all little brown ducks; poetry makes us swans!
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Being a little brown duck is so much fun.
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Beautiful. And so lovely to acknowledge that you’ve become that swan.
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Thank you so much, Maggie.
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Luv your swanlike soar
Happy Monday
Much💝love
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Thank you, Gillena – and you! 🙂
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Soar on in poetic harmony…
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And you, Trudessa!
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Lovely words. Enjoyable read.
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Thank you ,Maria.
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*applause*
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Thank you, Jenna!
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The “Swan of Avon” would second that. You perfectly capture your ease with words after the tugs and struggles of beginning. 😀❤️💜
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Thank you, Dora!
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A lovely affirmation of your talent, Kim! 🌞
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Thanks so much, Lisa! 🙂
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This was so beautiful. I enjoyed the metaphor of tugging at words and lines and in the end composing sonnets. 👏👏🦢👏👏
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Thank you, Tricia. 🙂
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“Poetic shallow waters”. WHOA! loved every line, Kim 🙂
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Thank you, Jay! 🙂
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You were always a swan to my reading. (K)
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Thank you so much, Kerfe.
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Kim, You’ve outdone yourself here! What a wonderful connection between the budding poet and the ugly duckling….their growth to spreading their beautiful wings and becoming a swan! Love it!
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Thanks so much, Lill!
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