When I first learned coding An old dev smiled and said, "Grab yourself a rubber duck And tell it what's in your head." Line by line, explain it Don't skip a single part Funny thing, before too long You'll find it in your heart He never gave opinions Never judged my style Just sat there on the corner With a tiny rubber smile Somehow all the answers Would slowly come in view Turns out all I really needed Was talking the problem through That worked for years Without a hitch Then someone said, "There's a better switch." What if the duck talked back? "Actually... I'd change that loop." What if the duck talked back? "I rewrote your entire group." I only wanted Someone to hear Now my duck Has a software career Now before I finish talking It already has a plan Three new files A database And Kubernetes again I barely start explaining It says, "Here's Version Three." Buddy... I was still describing What was wrong with me It found twelve opportunities For future optimization While I was halfway through The opening explanation Every little question Turns into a quest I just wanted someone To help me think my best What if the duck talked back? "Actually... There's something else." What if the duck talked back? "I've reorganized your shelves." I only wanted Someone to hear Now my duck Has a software career Sometimes silence Is all we need Not every helper Has to lead Sometimes answers Come from you Not every puzzle Needs Version Two Old duck listened New duck solves Both have their place I suppose. Old duck: Quack. New duck: "I've identified seventeen additional improvements." Old duck: Quack. New duck: "I've migrated your project to Rust." What if the duck talked back? Maybe that's okay But every now and then I miss the old-school way Sometimes thinking Out loud is enough Before the duck Starts showing off What if the duck talked back? Maybe that's the trend But every now and then I just... Need... A friend. Quack.
