Counting, just a thing I do

Hi everyone,

Sometime in 2016, I must have had some time on my hands. I went through all my books and compiled a list of my published poems. I remember doing it and that it was a time-consuming task. The finished document ran 595 pages long, averaging about two poems per page. It began with my first poem, a limerick that appears in THE BOOK OF GIANT STORIES (1972).

A careless giant once sat
On top of a very small gnat.
The gnat looked around
And said with a frown,
“That giant has ruined my hat!”

Since 2016, I haven’t had another window big enough to bring the list up to date. I’m not sure I care that much but I also hate unfinished business so I imagine I’ll get around to it eventually. I did do a quick scan of books published since 2016 and it looks like I’ve had another 400 or so poems published or in the works. That would add roughly 200 more pages to the 595 through 2016.

The numbers don’t make me a better poet, of course, but they do remind me that I’ve been about this business for a long time and continue to love the craft. SANDY ASHER, I can hear your chuckle all the way from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. You’re right. I’m a counter.