"Education" by Mike G.

I learn to count by counting
all that I am not. Often
this requires every finger
and toe in the universe.

I learn to read by bleeding
all my inner alphabets.
Jumbled letters link alien
languages I cannot speak.

I learn to write by fighting
fierce, or frightened, forms,
battling words, opposed to meaning
where surrender wins the war.

I learn to walk by falling.

Critiques:

-This poem captures so much of the pain, determination, and humility required to succeed in doing something worth the effort. I was mildly surprised that love was not one of the things learned. The line breaks are good; I'm almost always I a fan of enjambment.

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