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The ‘exponent of breath,’ she said;
as ancient astronomers and mathematicians
scratched their heads,
fumbled with formulas,
counting the earth’s innumerable twists,
unable to account for that
one lonely extra,
that misunderstood rhythm,
that confounding extra beat,
tick-tick-tick tocking, gears grinding,
as the heavens might befuddle
analog’s mysterious mastery,
as somehow we leap,
to a day that earns no holiday,
just a quick ‘what?’ or “how?’
or a grin—a nod to this little blip
that defies our logical ‘one-off’
this heavenly ‘exponent of breath.’
Grace notes: I happened to be glancing at a poem by Emily Dickinson when I noticed that it was February 29th, that extra day on the calendar we get every four years, or on election years, right? Emily’s ‘exponent of breath’ seemed to be the perfect foil, or just the right writing prompt to honor leap day.
Happy ‘leaping’ folks!
© Scott Zosel (2024 All Rights Reserved)
