Salty Shoulders

Mega-stitious,

I

never tallied

1 + 12,

counting crossed fingers by

2’s in lieu,

eschewing

Escher ladders

I

knocked on rungs

instead

–which clatter went

ignored by opportunity

and kept my collar blue–

I

refused to look at

any cat

near dawn or dusk lest shadow

cross my path,

I

saved primping

for those hours, too

when distant windows best reflected

worst,

and even when it rained inside

(which happened all last year)

my umbrellas stayed in stand

–all 3 of them–

the exact same number of

feet remaining to

an unfortunate cottontail,

coincidentally enough.