The duck....

Faded brown kimono flapping
in the newly chilled wind,
the bent and dry-skinned woman
creeps beside the pond.She is wandering
in a windowpane of thought.
Stooping where minuscule waves
meet the too-large shore,
her oversized wedding ring
slips carelessly to the ground.
It will be retrieved by someone with elastic skin
and silken threads.
Crumbling bread in her hand,
she throws it on the water's metallic surface
and watches as a swan and duck indulge in battle
for its life giving rights.
Her chapped lips curve into a secret smile
as the duck squawks its victorious cry....