I like numbers
I like to think I’m pretty good at counting
I like to count my friends.
———————————————
When I was very young I had lots of friends
I could count all the way to 20
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20.
———————————————————
But that was when I was little,
I don’t remember any of them anymore.
When I was 3 I moved to a new state and had to learn to count again.
But making friends is easy when you’re young
You don’t have to think about it too much
But the number I could count to was a bit smaller
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
————————————————
But it was still enough.
At age 5 we had to move again because of a fire
But I kept a few of those friends.
1 2 3 4 5 6
———————————————
I made more friends at my new school for kindergarten
And could count higher
7 8 9 10.
—————————————
We moved again for my dad’s work
Most of those numbers forgot about me.
1 2 3 4.
———————————————
But new school means new friends.
Elementary school was easy to make friends in.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15.
————————————————
Most of those friends went to a middle school near our elementary.
I went to school in a different state.
I found my group pretty quickly though.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
————————————
Then that group started to turn on each other in 7th grade.
In middle school kids are meaner than they were in elementary.
So I found a new group to hang out with.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
————————————
But most of those kids didn’t like me that much
I guess it wasn’t the right fit.
1 2.
————————————-
Then I had new classes in second semester, with new kids
So, I could count higher.
3 4 5.
—————————————
In 8th grade I joined a new school
And stopped talking to a few kids.
1 2 3.
———————————————
But my new school had kids more like me
So, I made lots of friends.
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13.
————————————————
But one of my old friends decided he didn’t like me anymore,
And I don’t really like another one of my old friends
So, I guess I shouldn’t count them anymore.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11.
—————————————
But at least I have the rest.
But sometimes when they see me
There are looks and whispers,
So do I even have them?
1 2 3?
Maybe just 2
Or 1
Maybe not even 1
I’m not as good at counting as I thought.
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Dang, what a powerful poem. I love the ending. This really spoke to me, even though I’ve never really experienced any of the life events depicted. And isn’t that a sign of the best poetry?
One thing is that I’d keep the number of dashes per separation low and always the same (I like three or five of the suckers) unless there’s a meaning behind the number of dashes that I missed.
Other than that, I don’t really know what I’d change here. Great poem.
This is an incredibly interesting concept. As someone who moved around a lot, I can say this definitely spoke to me. I loved how even the poem went from the happy innocence of a small child to the anxious concerns of a teen or young adult. The way you wrote how the number changed really emphasized the pain of growing apart. I think counting is a splendidly unique metaphor. Definitely a great price, especially since you mentioned just writing when bored. Great work
Hi Starryy! What an interesting and unique poem! I enjoyed reading this.
The first thing that stood out to me was your straightforward way of writing. You set the tone in your first few lines, using the phrases:
At first glance, it seems like you are literally talking about counting, but as the poem continues, I can see that you apply this counting skill to the number of friends that you have throughout your life. One thing that is interesting to me, is how this poem is a representation of your life, but at the same time represents some type of social regression. You can count the highest when you are the youngest, which in a developmental type of way is opposite of the typical ability of learning to count. Children can barely count to five when they are very young, but we can your counting is applied to something deeper than speech. That opposite was very interesting to me.
There are other times in the poem where you are able to 'count' high again, but never as high as 20. This gives me a feeling of living with this desire to return to what you once had. Perhaps you feel that constant yearning and regret of the past, which I think is displayed quite well through the symbolism in your poem.
There is another part of your poem that reall stood out to me when I was reading it.
This is the only instance in the poem where your numbers do not reset. We begin the second part with '3 4 5' which I thought was cool. Perhaps this represents some type of personal growth, like the past friends still exist but you had a new focus of who you spent time with. Or perhaps it shows your ability to count higher with a lingering emptiness. Either way, I liked how you did that part.
Also one thing about this stanza:
You did not put a period after 8, which you do after the last number of every other line. Just mentioning it in case it was a typo.
Overall, I enjoyed this poem. It is written in a very simple format, but has a deep message. I think that many people can relate to this in some way, without their story being exactly the same as yours. It is very unique and creative, especially with your use of numbers and how they represent your friends, but also your own growth over time. At the end of the poem you say "I’m not as good at counting as I thought." which to me means "maybe I am not as good at making friends as I thought". I like how this shows the present mind and how current situations can make us doubt ourselves as a whole. We see throughout the entire poem that the writer is capable of friendship, but once they lose it, they doubt themselves entirely. I like the confusion in the last stanza. I also liked how there was not any blame or a lot of internal thoughts besides basic statements, which make it easy for anyone to relate to.
Have a nice day. I love your poetry! Keep writing
Your friend,
Ellie