Dedaland

This is the narration of my short film Ugly Duck done (from january 2002 to april 2003) in collaboration with Grace Toh. I wrote this poetry from a little fairy tale I wrote for my friend who was depressed... and from that little fairy tale the idea for the movie came out and then, we decided to change all the dialogues and the narration into a poetry. (when I wrote this story I did not know there was an Esopo fable very similar to it, one friend made me noticed it afterwards... there is a very good reason why I did not know... I hate Esopo, I have a good reason to hate his fables, I never read any of his stories... I will talk antoher time about it thought, it is related to a very stressful memory)

Ugly Duck

There was once, once upon a time
A land round and bright like the sunshine.
There was a farm on a hill, and there were animals,
All superficial, snobs, and hypercritical.

Amongst these creatures so very judgmental,
Lived an amazing peacock, pure and gentle.
And every morning the peacock he would glide,
Towards the animals with elegance and pride.

His tail he’d open like a fan of rainbow nuances,
And tall he’d stand while the other ones with glances
Of rage and envy at his beauty they would stare,
And none of them to be by him would dare. Pc closes tail

So beautiful, you are, they would then hail,
So elegant you are from head to tail.
So colorful you are, no one is like you,
You make everyone wish they were cute too.

Especially the duck, he would make faces
And turn his head away to other places.
An ugly duck that craves for many attentions,
An ugly duck could grow ambitious intentions.

So while the others would stare, in awe, and sigh.
The ugly duck could feel that deep inside,
He could be beautiful and popular as well,
If he too had a rainbowed peacock’s tail.

And he would plan a plot to be unique,
Till he came up with an idea so diabolique!
He would disguise himself to go acquire,
The peacock’s beauty, the beauty so desired.

So like a thief and covered by night,
He sneaked around under the pale moonlight,
He went to visit the peacock’s little house
And jumped inside fast as a little mouse.

What happened next will leave you in dismay ,
See by yourself what Duck did the next day,
With peacock’s feather stuck to his bare butt
He pigeon-toed across the round hill top.

With his new beauty that his wasn’t at all,
He glided, waddled and stood so proud and tall,
That all the other animals would stare
And none of them to be by him would dare.

So beautiful, it is, they would then hail,
So colorful and elegant is your tail.
So beautiful it is, no one is like it,
But at the tail they’d stare… not at the ducky.

Hold on a second – replied the duck so vainly,
Why are you mentioning my butt and my butt only?
So beautiful I am, no one is like me,
So colorful I am, as colorful can be.

You are not beautiful, replied the little chick,
With someone else’s feathers you are a freak!
Your tail is very pretty one can hail,
But you‘re an ugly duck with peacock’s tail.

And so duck could finally understand,
No matter how he tried to glide and stand,
He could not change the nature of his soul,
Now twice as ugly because he even stole.

One cannot change like snakes that shed its skin,
If changes aren’t coming from within
Ugliness goes deep and beauty clouds,
If change you must, then change from inside out.

tyn studios (2003)