The Very Handsome Duck

"I must be quite handsome"
Thought the little duck
"For they sculpted me in bronze and give me little knitted hats in the winter" 
He primped his feathers in the mirror of the statue's webbed feet
"I must be a fine duck indeed
To deserve the pennies they throw on my gilded back"
If the duck hadn't been born in the Public Garden
He would never have known fresh scraps of bread and warm fries
He wouldn't be gifted warm blankets in the winter and fresh sprouts in the spring
There were even boats!
Boats the humans boarded by the dozen, just so they could visit the duck's magnificent pond
And the boats were shaped like swans
But swans were just less precious ducks
So, he thought, the boats were shaped just like him
He would come out of his lovely straw bed to promenade about the large pond
As people clapped and whistled and took photos 
Sometimes he would take his final bows and be greeted with handfuls of rose petals and popcorn
That he could gobble for a light snack
The duck thought he was pleasantly round
Not too large to swim, not too small to notice
He was quite beautiful, and the people would tell him this every day
"Aren't you a pretty duck"
And he would think 
"Yes I am, yes I am"
On tiring days where he had no bread
And had to fish for minnows
When it was too cold for admirers and too hot for snowmen to entertain
He still had a statue
Of a very handsome duck