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If you’ve been following our wood duck house, there is sad news. None of the eggs hatched. After nearly 40 days, we thought it was time to give up, even though the hen was still sitting on them. What do you do with such a life lesson? Write a poem about it.
Nature can be a cruel teacher.
Eggs in a nest box,
how a silly duck hen
will sit for days and days.
Could she smell the rotting?
Did she see the gray shadow growing
cold? Some days nature is so violent
whole trees fall. They block the road.
They tell us we don’t belong.
Why on earth are we all here?
When birth is so random,
so dependent on the stars
sprinkling miracle dust,
declaring life.
Not today. When we take the eggs
out of the box, I forget to count.
Toss them into the water,
an afternoon snack for an evil snake
grabbing anything it can for survival.
Survival is not for everything
God makes. Some days
you just have to clean out the box,
add new shavings in,
Begin again.
— Margaret Simon, draft, 2019
Reflections on the Teche 
Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that they didn’t make it. Thank you for the lovely poem.
The poem rings so beautifully and harshly true. Do they have two hatchlings in a summer or only one?
The circle of life actually has several loops to it. Sorry to hear that the hen didn’t have success this time. So much learning from your wood ducks.
Beautiful, we have to begin again . I mean your poem is beautiful. Sad about the eggs.
Oh, Margaret. I’m so sorry. Thank you for turning your grief into poetry.
I’m sorry that this has happened, Margaret. Your poem’s ending is exactly what we do, start again. Hugs for the disappointment.
Thank you for sharing this poem, Margaret. I’ve been following the eggs and the wood duck mama. So sad for you.
I was afraid to read this, Margaret. I thought something “got” the hatchlings – not guessing they never hatched. Makes me think of a miscarriage. Poor Mama duck, still trying, doing what she knows to do… it strikes me as valiant. I mourn the little whispers of life that never had voice … and hope for new, strong life to come.
I’m so sorry about your eggs. Some things truly are beyond understanding. I love that you included the stars in your poem. They lead us ever onward!
[…] yesterday’s wood duck egg disappointment, I have a hopeful life-filled poem today in response to what happened this morning in our […]
Such a sad poem. I’ve enjoyed watching the videos. Hoping for a better outcome with this new beginning. On another note, watching your monarchs emerge was magnificent!