NaPoWriMo 2017 - Prompt #7 - Counting Up and Down

Counting - a way to win, and a way to know you've won.

The whole concept of numbers and the process of counting is fascinating.  Carl Sagan says, "The simplest thought, like the concept of the number one, has an elaborate logical underpinning."  Imagine then the processing behind the otherwise straightforward act of counting from one to ten.  Go from there to think about just how many things we count - time, music, money, collections, and so much more, and we realize counting is part of the complex language of culture - the how and why we count.

Prompt #7:  Write a poem that evokes the concept of counting.  Imagine some of these examples to get you started:  counting to ten when angry, counting the minutes going by as we wait impatiently, counting in a number system other than base ten, such as binary, counting and skipping a number, countdowns, awarding prizes in order of first, second, third, counting cards, and all the words we use for things that are counted.

For something more specific, try writing your poem in a verse structure, like a sonnet, that requires the counting of lines and rhymes.

And of course I'll be considering different aspects of counting as reflected in science fiction, horror, and fantasy!

Did you use this or one of our other prompts?  You can post your poem in our comments, if you like.

Happy Writing!

Prompts crafted by:
J.A. Grier, Senior Scientist and Education Specialist, Planetary Science Institute
Amy Grier, Managing Editor, Solstice Literary Magazine
Image Credits: RoyalFlushHearts, public domain.  Wikimedia Commons