Friday, January 8, 2010

Census


2 Tigers
6 Gorillas
5 Bears
4 Camels
1 Girafffe
2 Sheep
3 Rhinos
1 Buffalo

Animal crackers in a zoo box. When I was small, on very special days they traveled to school with me, in their cardboard zoo box, tucked in a brown paper sack along with my bologna sandwich. There were 24 of them. I counted. Every time. I wrote down their names. Every time.

Now, alas, only 22 live in the box. Life diminishes us all.

Today other animals might appear in your zoo box. Maybe you will find a seal, monkey, cougar, kangaroo, hippo, elephant, hyena, or zebra. Or even a koala.