POETRY

The Hands That Stuff the Duck

December 1, 2022 | Issue II | S.N. Chowdhury 

I recently bought a stuffed toy duck.

Sometimes I look at him and wonder how he was made

In a big industrial factory?

Or maybe a small warehouse?

Was it made by men? Women? Maybe a child?

Was this duck perhaps made by a child?

Did she give him a name?

Did she tell him her own?

Was she sad she could not keep him?

Were the few coins she earned worth the pain of giving him away?

I do not know.

Suddenly this duck looks so different.

His beaded eyes look glossy with tears

His lopsided beak looks more like a frown than a smile.

The exterior of his back so smooth, so soft. 

I wonder if the same can be said about the hands that made him.

S.N. Chowdhury is an English Literature major at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB). She is an aspiring writer and poetry enthusiast.  

Photo Credit: Pinterest