The poem below uses counting as a way to mark time inside of carceral institutions. The universal element of the poem is that we all count–minutes, hours, calories, reps, wrongs, friendship bracelets, secrets . . . .This project works well as a group poem, with everyone adding a single line. Choose a place or a list or a word, or a line from another poem or the word “Count” and see where it takes you.
from [One Big Self] by CD Wright (written about visiting three prisons in Louisiana)
Count your fingers
Count your toes
Count your nose holes
Count your blessings
Count your stars (lucky or not)
Count your loose change
Count the cars at the crossing
Count the miles to the state line
Count the ticks you pulled off the dog
Count your calluses
Count your shells
Count the points on the antlers
Count the newjack’s keys
Count your cards; cut them again
This poem-in-progress is a partial list of the many people and objects Alison Pelegrin has encountered inside of Louisiana prisons that she always wants to remember.
Count the workers in the library
If there’s a window, count the clouds
Count the chairs in the circle, the broken chairs against the wall
Count the pens in my fist, count the caps
Count the words of advice–don’t let yourself get run over, don’t be sad
Count the handwritten poems
Count the autographs
Count the number of times I get lost walking in straight lines
Count the blessing of these minutes and hours
Count on poetry to make these things count.