If I were a gear
I’d have teeth but not a toothbrush
I could mesh with other gears
I would turn in ratio
Depending on the size of my neighbor
If they were bigger
I’d be quicker
If they were smaller
I’d spin slower
I’d turn in the opposite direction
Of my partner near
But together as two gears
We’d get the job done
Whether used in a watch
A transmission or a winch
Remember to keep
Your fingers clear
Or else you just might
Get pinched.
Copyright © 2011 Michael Salinger. From the book The Poetry Friday Anthologyms for the School Year with Connections to the Common Core. Pomelo Books. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Michael Salinger is a father, poet, educator who travels the world promoting the use of poetry as a literacy tool in classrooms. For more information, visit www.outspokenlit.com.