John The Duck

There once was an ugly duckling
Who lived on a pond in Slough
But the one thing this duck wanted
Was to stand in a field as a cow

He never had a flair for flying
For quacking and eating bread
He’d rather graze in the fields by day
And at night sleep in a cattle shed

Now this duck, we’ll name him John
Never had any fellow feathered friends
Because all his mooing and eating grass
Would drive them round the bend

So they kept a wide berth of our pal John
Never asked him to join them play
But, ‘Oh I don’t care, moo moo moo!’
Was all he’d choose to say!

When one day it came to him . . .
A light bulb above his head
‘Rather than staying in my watery home
I’ll live on the grass instead!’

‘That’s what cows do!’ he said to himself
A broad grin spread across his bill
‘Now to find a nice green patch
I think there’s one over that hill!’

So off he went to start a new life
With his twenty new moo-ing mates
Whether this was a good idea
It’s up to you to debate

He’s been there for 10 years now
I am sure you won’t believe
I guess in order for you to understand
For yourself you’ll have to see

So if you go to that field in Slough
I can tell you, you’ll be dumbstruck
When you see twenty cows chewing the cud
And one happy moo-ing duck!

Zoe Brown


Runner-up
Zoe, you’ve won a copy of this book as we loved your poem too.