My Duckies - Inside My Thoughts Poetry Reflection

Two weeks ago I kicked off a series of reflections for my poetry collection "Inside My Thoughts." Here is the second post in that series.

I love colors and I love building worlds out of them. I also adore rubber duckies— the basis of which this poem is structured off. Those little mounds of plastic, shaped like ducks and float in water. It makes me feel like Ernie from Sesame Street when he sings the rubber ducky song. My collection grows every passing month, and recently I got one that was a rubber doggy rather than a duck. Needless to say, this is a collection I want to continue growing for years.

But what sort of things do you like to collect? Are you an enjoy-er of old coins, trinkets, or maybe even bottle caps? Are you into amassing a huge collection of trading cards, or even toys? What about books, DVDs, or music? There is so much joy in being able to choose the things that fill your space. Never regret that.

All that aside, let’s jump into this poem analysis. First, we’ll take a look at the poem itself. Then we’ll go over my thoughts and notes over it. Sometimes my feelings about a piece change after re-reading it, but that’s an exciting experience nonetheless.

So, here it is:

Yellow spills into the room,
Crawling over bookshelves and toys.
It creeps up the side of a picture frame,
Looking for its new host: a little
Rubber ducky on my desk.

Yellow takes it over like
Rays of sun sapped by green leaves
And tattered little bushes–
Churning to keep that energy
And momentum alive.

But the rubber ducky remains
Unbothered by this leeching light.
It sits tight, shining in its spot–
Drifting endlessly in the idea of
What it isn't, but what it could be.

Not alive, neither dead, yet something
That is full of color; yellow or more.
And it amasses behind it, an army
Of similar beings– duckies in each
Attribute, their franchises showing.

And though the yellow comes and goes,
The perpetual army of plastic ducklings
Stays– Without change, but without
A sense of purpose or importance.
They're just what they're needed to be.

Immediately my eyes drift over to the usage of the word yellow in the poem. It shows up in every single stanza, offering a taste of repetitiveness or insistence to the imagery. Yellow is a bright color, full of warmth and happiness. But in this instance it acts out more like a parasite. The Rubber ducky didn’t choose to be yellow, but remains unfazed by the change presented. But it also thinks about what it could be, wondering if maybe there’s more to its life.

Some times I feel stuck in a loop, going through the motions over and over. Every day I go to work, follow the same routines, and go bed all the same. It grows stale and I hope for something new to shake it up. But sometimes there’s also peace in the inertia. There is stability in those weekly routines, and I know what to expect from it. Both of those things work in tandem, because just like everything else emotions come and go in cycles.

The rubber ducky might not be alive, nor is it dead, but it exists. The color yellow remains, but that color is accepted. And even if the rubber ducky ever feels alone, they’re not. They still have other rubber duckies there to keep them company. Its a reminder that even if you feel out of place, alone, or struggling to get through. There are people going through similar things. You are never alone, you just haven’t found your rubber duckies yet.

I’d also say this poem was inspired by the song “Inertia” from AJR. In the song, Jack sings about hardly getting anywhere, but still displays a hopeful sense of enthusiasm about being in the moment. We get stuck on the future that we forget how to live in the moment. So it reminds me of how I get stuck on the future, too. Like how my lease ends in September, and how little prepared I am for it. That’s still months away, but it eats at me constantly.

And honestly, things will get better when it’s time. I just need to focus on the now, and take in things one day at a time. I will be where I need to be, eventually.

For the last poem in this series, I chose a stanza I liked most. This time I don’t know which to choose. Each part was enjoyable in how its imagery and content was presented. Though I do reckon it could’ve been better written. For what it is, however, the poem overall is still one of my favorites due to the simple yet intricate nature of it. But what do you think? Do you like it, or have any feedback? I’d love to hear it down below.

Also, if you enjoyed reading this post, consider following my blog for more in the future. And if you want to support my writing, you can subscribe monthly or yearly and get a few extra benefits. Or, you can order a copy of my book “Inside the Sun and Moon- a poetry collection.”