Random Act of Metaphor: A Bird’s-Eye View of a Ring-Necked Duck

Hmmm, did that striking Ring-Necked Duck just happen by chance to be in an unusual spot or did happenstance get a helping hand from powers unseen?

Ring-necked ducks are a relatively common sighting this time of year for those of us who spend our free time peering through binoculars. Much of the time they are a fair distance offshore and thus viewed through 10x power magnification. At that distance, males appear pretty much as routine black on top and white below with a diagnostic white patch before the wing.

Today, however, the perspective changed. I came upon a male cruising proudly in a small pond. And quite the striking specimen he was.

A velvet black back and neck contrasting sharply with a snowy crescent down the side which arched into a showy flare below the neck. There was a purplish sheen on his head that set off a piercing, bright yellow eye. And finally, a thin white patch before the bluish bill tipped by white and then by black.

I had not appreciated until today the regal attire this comparatively common duck boasts. And whether it was happenstance or an unseen hand that placed it there for me to admire, the lesson is the same.

A bird’s-eye view of a spectacular specimen of a Ring-Necked Duck – a random act of metaphor to remind me to slow down, tune in and look for the inherent beauty in all living things. So much beauty is missed because we’re running when we should be walking and looking around the next corner when we should be enjoying what is right before our eyes.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

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