Just Four Ducks on a Pond

by TS S. Fulk

Nuclear family

two parents, two children

always harmonious

with bright smiles they gleam

like mallards on a pond

Instagram tells me so

My landmine-filled home is nothing

like those idyllic pastorals

that others post and boast about

instead we just try to survive

Yet there are ripples on the lake

hinting at some disturbances 

hiding just below the surface

distorting their calm reflections

As a burnt-out parent

I empathize with the mallards