A poem-a-day protest against the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House
Laurel Brett
Elegy for Long Island Ducks
Say a prayer
for the 99,000 ducks
who will be
killed today to stop
the spread of avian flu
at the last duck farm.
Does it matter to the bird
if she’s killed to be smothered
in an apricot sauce
revered at the table
or in this mass execution
to halt a disease?
Is there a god for ducks
in a universe
without a god for us?
I hope they will be gathered
into feathery wings. So many
for their heaven to take in.
Laurel Brett is the author of the novel The Schrödinger Girl (Kaylie Jones Books, 2020) and the academic book Disquiet on the Western Front: World War II and Postmodern Fiction (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2016). She holds a doctorate in English from SUNY Stony Brook and taught English, Intellectual History, and Women’s Studies at Nassau Community College. Brett lives in Port Jefferson, New York.
Indolent Books and editor Michael Broder are back with another poem-a-day series as a creative response to the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House. The plan is to continue for all 1460 days of the 47th American presidency.
Find out how to submit poems or flash prose pieces to Second Coming.
If you like Second Coming and you want to support it, consider making a donation to Indolent Arts, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscal sponsor of Indolent Books.
You can use the form below to donate as little as $1.00 (not visible in the email version of this post) or use this link to visit our donation page where you can donate as little as $1.00 or choose titles from the Indolent Books catalogue as thank-you gifts for donations starting at $25.00—The more you give, the more thank-you gift books you get, up to six books for a donation of $100 or more.