Ugly Duckling

In a quiet pond in a village not far,

A duckling was born under a fallen star.

He was grey, odd, and terribly plain,

And mocked by the ducks again and again.

"You're no brother of ours," said one with pride,

So he left the pond, eyes open wide.

The cats ignored him, the cows called him strange,

Even the frogs kept a cautious range.

He saw his reflection in a lake one day,

And gasped at the beauty—gone was the grey.

His wings were wide, his neck held high,

He cut a shape across the sky.

Back at the pond, the same ducks stared,

Whispering, "Oh! If only we’d cared."

He smiled, no anger in his eyes,

He’d found his wings, reached his skies.

Though born a duckling, he grew to see,

He was meant for something more to be.

It wasn't their scorn that shaped his path,

But his patience, his silence, and nature’s math.

✨Moral: The world sees you differently once you believe in yourself.