When I was young I'd count to 6 on my pink painted fingers
1, 2, 3, 4, 6
My teacher would always scold me for forgetting the number 5
She'd shout, go into the corner until you can count correctly
I'd sit in that corner day after day always repeating the same thing
1, 2, 3, 4, 6
My teacher would grab my hand and point to my right thumb and say 5, that's 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 6
I started to build a world in that corner
My friends were all numbers
1 was smart and kept after the other numbers
2 was the rebellious genius
3 was the Homecoming Queen with a song to change the world
4 was artistic, her painting could make the world look grey
6 was clever and the one from another group that everyone cared about
then there was 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 6
1 went with 2
3 went with 4
and 6 went with them all
1, 2, 3, 4, 6
5, 5 stood by herself while her sisters 2 and 4 would have fun
5 watched as her brothers 1 and 2 spent everyday together
5 watched as all the numbers accepted 6 as one of their own
1, 2, 3, 4, 6
When I explained this all to the teacher she would always ask why would 5 always watch
I would reply 5 is the one who ruins family trips with her tears, 5 is the one who makes everyone stay home, 5 is the one who won't go out to eat, 5 is the one who shakes and cries with anxiety, 5 is the one no one wants to be
1, 2, 3, 4, 6
My teacher told me that one day I'll learn to love the number 5
But here I am years later
Counting on my fingers covered with chipped nail polish
1, 2, 3, 4, 6