One fish
Two fish
Three fish

Four
Five
Six

Seven
Eight
Nine

I can’t say ten

Red fish
Blue fish
Green fish

First my pinky
Then the hands
Marks crawling across my arm
Scabs that never heal
I can’t stop picking

Always three
Always three
Always three

Never can step on cracks in the pavement

Flip the light on and off three times-
Just to be safe
Even numbers don’t feel right

I can’t take this

Not anymore

Intrusive thoughts

Prodding
Prodding
Prodding

Stop it
Stop it
Stop it

I’ve lost count

It’s time

To start over again

But before-

I need one more line just to feel complete

Grace Crouthamel is a student and writer. Some of her work, prose or property, concentrates on mental illness and the effects it has on one’s life but, ultimately, how it does not define one’s life.