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Arithmetic
by Carl Sandberg
Arithmetic
is
where
numbers
fly
like
pigeons
in
and
out
of
your
head.
Arithmetic
tell
you
how
many
you
lose
or
win
if
you
know
how
many
you
had
before
you
lost
or
won.
Arithmetic
is
seven
eleven
all
good
children
go
to
heaven
--
or
five
six
bundle
of
sticks.
Arithmetic
is
numbers
you
squeeze
from
your
head
to
your
hand
to
your
pencil
to
your
paper
till
you
get
the
answer.
Arithmetic
is
where
the
answer
is
right
and
everything
is
nice
and
you
can
look
out
of
the
window
and
see
the
blue
sky
--
or
the
answer
is
wrong
and
you
have
to
start
all
over
and
try
again
and
see
how
it
comes
out
this
time.
If
you
take
a
number
and
double
it
and
double
it
again
and
then
double
it a
few
more
times,
the
number
gets
bigger
and
bigger
and
goes
higher
and
higher
and
only
arithmetic
can
tell
you
what
the
number
is
when
you
decide
to
quit
doubling.
Arithmetic
is
where
you
have
to
multiply
--
and
you
carry
the
multiplication
table
in
your
head
and
hope
you
won't
lose
it.
If
you
have
two
animal
crackers,
one
good
and
one
bad,
and
you
eat
one
and
a
striped
zebra
with
streaks
all
over
him
eats
the
other,
how
many
animal
crackers
will
you
have
if
somebody
offers
you
five
six
seven
and
you
say
No
no
no
and
you
say
Nay
nay
nay
and
you
say
Nix
nix
nix?
If
you
ask
your
mother
for
one
fried
egg
for
breakfast
and
she
gives
you
two
fried
eggs
and
you
eat
both
of
them,
who
is
better
in
arithmetic,
you
or
your
mother?
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