Thursday, April 28, 2022

Hebrew Math

Start at the beginning, day one,

keep going, two three four five six,

& on the seventh day she rests.


How many years, how many generations,

wives, cubits? Animals in pairs.

Forty days. A single dove.


Bris on the eighth day. Mitzvah

at twelve or thirteen, sex dependent.

Gender fluid get to choose.


Job’s three friends, Job’s seven days

& seven nights. Jonas, three days &

three nights inside the whale.


Four apostles. One Paul.

Five loaves & two fishes. Or

seven loaves & a few little fishes.


One man, one rib, one snake.

Mary Magdalene’s seven demons.

One Jesus, two thieves.


The mathematics of Jewish scripture,

the man said. Sixes & sevens, I thought.

Scholarship its own reward.


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