Winter Jacket Poem by Jan Oskar Hansen

The Warm Jacket
Ducks have two sets of feathers outer ones, which are
watertight and inner feathers that is soft as a young
man's whispery beard. Ducks are never cold and can waddle
a frozen pond with the greatest of ease if not with elegance.
I wanted a jacket of duck feathers so I killed five hundred
of them and asked my elderly porcelains' duck to sew me one.
In case you wonder I sold the plucked birds to hotels and
restaurants. I'm never cold now can walk out in all weather
and not feel the cold. Only I do feel like a mass murderer-
send him to Hague- so much killing just so I could feel snug.
When spring comes I will put the jacket near the lake so ducks
can pick feathers that ones belonged to their fore-ducks and
make cosy nests for their chicks. My porcelain's duck tells me
that if I had shot two polar bears, I would have had enough
soft fur for two jackets and a pair of trousers.
Now, why didn't I think of that?