In defense of five

It may not be seven's perfection

Or eight's swirling infinity

Especially not three's

Godhead

Right angle strength

balanced on curve thrill,

five is a woman erect 

on a yoga ball

Lovely and odd,

five is the midway 

point to ten, that decadent

basis of metrics and money.

Five is the State Supreme Court--

when two out of three fails,

the rock-paper-scissors plaintiff

appeals to three out of five

for a more just verdict

A smaller scale than one-to-ten,

one-to-five is thriftier, more potent

Five more minutes 

of sleep is the common man's 

dose of indulgence

In minor keys, thirds

may waver, bringing the dark,

the melancholy,

but with the integrity of 

Abraham Lincoln, the fifth

holds steady, knowing

someday the arpeggio

will once again make

a joyful noise. 

© Linda Peterson, 2011

Flowering Cherry
Five petals, five-lobed calyx;
photo by Tony Russell