Up for the counting

by Richard Subber | Mar 17, 2020 | My poetry, Poetry, Reflections

Look who’s counting!

At a certain age, counting fingers is a big thing.

Numerology

He’s counting his fingers now,

another threshold passed without a look back.

He puts some energy into it,

doesn’t remember to count every one every time,

but he’s counting, he’s doing it.

Old Grandfather starts it off,

tapping fingertips,

“One, two, three…”

and he picks up the rhythm,

splaying the fingers of one hand,

fearlessly extending the count,

“…four, five, seven, eight.…”

A couple of those eager fingers get counted twice,

sticking up like chicks in the nest stretching for the worm,

and that’s alright, those fingers are stretching

for the joy of discovery

and the cool of flashing in the air

in the ritual of counting fingers with Old Grandfather,

and counting twice is confirmation, not a sin.

We do it again.

Same noisy delight. Different count.

Someday he’ll understand that doing it together is what counts.

October 10, 2015

My poem “Numerology” was published in my first chapbook, Writing Rainbows: Poems for Grown-Ups. You can buy it on Amazon (paperback and Kindle), or get it free in Kindle Unlimited, search for “Richard Carl Subber”

Previously published in The Australia Times Poetry, miller’s pond poetry magazine, and Whispers.

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“…the ravell’d sleeve of care…”

wish I’d said that…(a bit of Shakespeare)

click here

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My first name was rain: A dreamery of poems with 53 free verse and haiku poems,

and the rest of my poetry books are for sale on Amazon (paperback and Kindle)

and free in Kindle Unlimited, search Amazon for “Richard Carl Subber”