2 poems by Nina Parmenter : Down by the River & How to Count Your Fingers

Down by the River

Down by the river I linger, held
at bay by the pull of things so small
that cities fold and concertina.

My thoughts are twists and pebbles, my
unease is tugged into an eddy -
a yellow petal surfs the middle.

Fingers scoop at shingle, skin
forgets to fear, a thousand facets
pour through thumbs and knuckles,
wet and sharp and dirty and fickle,
cold and
here.

Down by the river I linger, until
the leaves that skimmed around the sandbar
blend into the distant silver.

How To Count Your Fingers

Did you know
that the blurred balls to your left and right
are your hands,
and that they have endings?

We call them fingers.

Did you know
that if you hold back your thoughts
from churning and ticking,
from building and spilling,
you can see those fingers
and count them?

Just try.

Jump on your mind,
find the brake to stop it turning.
Try thinking of a desert.
Try floating on a salt-drenched sea.

Now, hold your hands quite still.
Do not grasp or scratch or fidget
or tap or swipe or scroll.

Believe me, it’s possible.

And now count the fingers, slowly.
Work methodically from left to right.
Oh, I’m not giving you the answer.
No spoilers.  


A Fevers of the Mind Quick-9 Interview with Nina Parmenter

Bio: Nina Parmenter’s first collection will be published by Indigo Dreams in 2022. Her poetry has appeared in journals including Honest Ulsterman, Atrium Poetry, Snakeskin, Allegro Poetry, Green Ink, and Ink Sweat and Tears. In 2021, she was winner of the Hedgehog Poetry single poem contest and was nominated for the Forward Prize. She lives in Wiltshire but can be found online at www.ninaparmenter.com or on Twitter @ninaparmenter.