Pickles, a Door and Swans

The poem that i chose to recite for the Poetry Out Loud competition was one called "Numbers" written by Mary Cornish.

I'm not sure why, but when we were searching for poems online in class, this poem really spoke to me. At first I just read it to finish the assignment, but every few minutes I would go back to it and read a few lines. That night when I got home I went on the POL website again and read the poem aloud. I just really liked how the words felt as they gushed out of my mouth, caressed my lips, and filled the air with their sweet sound. I knew this was my poem.

My favorite thing about this poem is the way Cornish uses something as elementary as addition to convey a deeper meaning on life; "Two pickles, One door to a room, Eight dancers dressed as swans." I think her previous career as a children's book author/illustrator contributed to her creative methods. I really enjoyed "Numbers" and I'm interested in reading some of her books.