Poetry Prompt: Writing Poems that Count

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.