The Difference Between a Duck is an unusual book. On the one hand, it is the complete collection of R. L. Palmer's poetry, stories, and narratives written between 1958 and 2016. It is also a book of surprises: the content and style of the entries vary widely from page to page--ranging from fictional to true, abstract to concrete, personal to general, serious to humorous, silly to sensible, and often tinged with nostalgia. It is heavily influenced by several factors: Palmer's early upbringing in the cold of a northern Pennsylvania village located in the foothills of the Alleghany mountains; his utopian summers spent on the shores of a small lake in western New York State; his "Deutschland years" when he was a U.S. airman stationed in Germany, and his subsequent many years spent in the hill country and high desert of central and far west Texas. "Duck" is straightforward writing that follows a crooked path--an enjoyable roller coaster of emotion that is both provocative and fun, at times touching upon the bizarre. The reader should find this book a refreshing and original addition to modern poetry and narrative writing.