In the shadow of the great oak tree
In a place not for you and me
Found only with great luck
Lived Riley the river duck

You see Riley was frumpy
And oh so grumpy
How she was, was how she preferred
To the point that it was absurd

None of the other animals seemed to care
That she was always holed up in there
Wallowing in a puddle, her thoughts in a muddle
And her dress, in such a mess

On one brilliant summer day
With the sun shining so bright and gay
You see she always thought that she had such rotten luck
For Riley yet again was stuck

For what pickle is so fickle
To make that duck, stuck
What thought so meek
To make this situation so dire and bleak

While all the other animals were outside playing
Riley was inside praying
That she could come out
But the problem was that she was filled with doubt

One morning was particularly glorious
And Riley was oh so furious
That she dropped all her doubt
And she tried for the first time to come out

She stepped out and ruffled her feathers
The power of the sun severing imaginary tethers
And a smile spread across her face  
For she realised how beautiful was this place

For now that she finally stepped out
Of her excuses and self doubt
All the animals greeted her with such zeal
She realised that this must be how it is to finally feel

Now a few days later
According to the official dater
She wasn’t grumpy, she wasn’t dire and she wasn’t a bore
Riley wasn’t frumpy any more

Everyone around her loved her, they couldn’t get enough
For what a special duck she was, being holed up had made her tough
Now Riley had finally learnt to be happy and be free
And there began the jovial tale of Riley of the Great Oak Tree