Casualty

The taillights hurried on; my mood went dark
As in the road a drake looked at his duck
Writhing in mortal agony. It was bad luck
They took that moment to cross from the park
To the water opposite the road. A yard of two
And they'd have made it when a new
And shining car came whistling down the track.
The impact was too weak for sudden death;
There were no outside wounds. The duck fell back
And, beak wide open, groped about for breath –
The drake stood staring, wondering what was wrong
And waiting for his mate to come along.