Just past the 405 junction traffic came to a stop.
In front of me, across all five lanes, cars were parked with flashers on
And a white duck waddled down the middle lane.
Hundreds of us watched as a man with a beard
Got out of a red Datsun, ran three quick steps and
Scooped up the duck, one hand on its bill, the other under its belly.
He opened his hatchback and put the duck inside.
We honked in celebration.
I turned off my iPod and drove the rest of the way home in silence
Fantasizing that I was the one who saved the duck.
I imagined I brought it home in the back of my car and kept it in the yard.
Shannon bought a kiddie pool so it could splash around
And we fed it organic grain my dad shipped from the farm back home.
We emailed friends pictures of the duck in response
To pictures of their dogs and newborn babies
And when the duck finally flew away, we stood in the yard and cried.
I pulled into my driveway and realized my cheeks were wet.
I sat in the quiet car for a moment, eyes squeezed shut,
Wishing I had been the brave one.
David is an actor, writer and producer in Los Angeles. He's the founder and editor-in-chief of CSP, and a founding producer of the acclaimed Lucid by Proxy theater company. Despite all this, he still has to hold down a day job in the dot-com world, where he does product and interaction design. His acting has been called "committed," "detailed," "fearless," "hilarious" and "heart-rending" by the LA Times and Backstage West. His writing has been called "articulate and commanding" and "eminently readable" by Flak Magazine. His tenth grade Geometry teacher said he "does not work well in groups." David lives in a little bungalow in the Valley with his talented and lovely wife, Shannon, and two fluffy cats. |
more essays by David
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License by:
Clark Schpiell Productions, Lucid by Proxy,
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borrowed work used by permission and © the original owner
