Count to Ten
Four. Seven Nine Ten!
and she giggles at her childish joke.
I take a breath to correct her,
but I stop. Am I handing her a knife,
signs to heavy for anyone to wield?
Am I teaching her tools that will become deadly?
One, In the beginng…,
Two, male and female, guns,
Three in One, an equation that lit fires,
Five, to commit wrong with impunity,
Seven Nine Ten Twelve.
What sign is Forgiveness?
What symbol is Love?
That Mercy has no cipher
is a wondrous Truth.
Photo: Taken in Helsinki, Finland, 2012