Added 2025-05-13 04:30:59 +0000 UTC
‘a girl and a duck’ — my recent illustration for a poem my friend wrote. the original was in another language, but I asked chatgpt to translate it into english — and here’s what came out: - the duck loved to fly through the air, dreaming of touching the sunlight up there. wind brushed through each downy feather, pushing her heart to beat even better. each winter she longed to escape to the south, far from the storms that howled with a mouth. the flock rose up, ready to flee, shaking off earth with a cry to be free. to soar through the skies is better than sleep, especially knowing your flock flies deep. there is no end to the joy that it gave — what luck for the duck who finally braved. but not all things can be planned or foretold, even small moments can break the bold. the longing to fly, to feel the sky — no wind can save when it’s time to cry. a hunter’s aim struck straight through her wing, pain hit so fast she couldn’t think. she tumbled down and fell in the grass, screaming for help as the moments passed. the sun, it seemed, was out of reach. no use now to hope or dream or preach. her cry faded in one last “quack,” but the flock just flew, and didn’t look back. her soul cracked under their cold reaction — they deemed her strange, a failed distraction. not worth the risk to help her rise, they looked away from her tearful eyes. the flock flew off to warmer skies, leaving her there where the winter lies. a fracture bloomed inside her chest, but still her heart beat in her breast. even with pain and cracks in her shell, a hole in her head, and a shadow as well — the duck refused to freeze or fall, she swam through the cold, surviving it all. every life still longs to go on, though we don’t know where the duck has gone. maybe she’ll swim with all of her might, or carry bold news in the dead of night. maybe she’ll live with a penguin one day, in a zoo where love finds its way. life is tough, but you’re still strong — a break’s not a reason to give up and be gone.
