Triskaidekaphobia
Silly to be scared of a number
But there it was
She was scared to celebrate
her first official “teen” birthday,
thought the house
would go up in flames
because one of the candles
would flare and
that would be that.
She could not move into a flat
on the 14th floor
because she knew
the numbers skipped
from 12 to 14.
Karma was bound to catch up
in the form of
falling out the window
being squashed by a toppled ladder
(even though she hadn’t walked under it)
or being slowly gnawed to bits
by a black cat.
© Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Also at Writer’s Island in answer to their prompt, “Superstition,” and my poetic home, Poets United.
Sharp Little Pencil 
andy mcdonald
I’ve never heard of that phobia before. You learn something new every day. A well written piece. Thank you.
Please tell me you views of my poetry and shorts at:
http://fictionisanaddiction.blogspot.com/
I am new t the world of blogging and am looking for opinions of my writings
Thanks
Sharp Little Pencil
Andy, thanks so much. It may take time to get to your fiction, as I’m very backlogged after all the festivities, but I’ll get there! And I will promise to offer critiques in love. Amy
Renee
I so relate, Amy. I flew home yesterday Friday the 13th and commented to my youngest daughter and her reply was, “Don’t worry mom, 13 is my lucky number”. The flight went well.
Sharp Little Pencil
You have a very special daughter. I’d say she’s a keeper, and a bit of an old soul as well! Good for you, Renee. Thanks, Amy
Debbie
magnificent, Amy! 🙂
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks so much, Debbie. Have a feeling you’re not superstitious either, since God takes care of that side of fear… Amy
vivinfrance
What a handicap!
Sharp Little Pencil
Thank God it’s not really a superstition of mine. I just like the title word! Amy
beespoetry
I love the opening. “Silly to be afraid of a number/ But there it was”
And the end! Ooh. I’m afraid that I’ll get old and die alone with only cats for company, and it’ll take days for people to find me so my cats will eat my corpse. Definitely stirs up that kind of picture in my head!
Sharp Little Pencil
Sorry I brought up a bad image for you, Bee. Look at the bright side: We’ll probably both be in the same boat!!!
beespoetry
Jeez I hope not! That is not a boat we want to be in together, lol! The poem is great though. Stirring some real emotions is our goal, I’d say, and you do it every time! ❤
I hope at least any future kidlets I manage to adopt along the way check up on me before the kitties get to me, lol.
And at the very least, I'll be Uncle Bee to my friends' little monsters 🙂
(That's my sweet little friend's kid's name for me- she was calling everyone uncle for a while when she was a year and a half… uncle mommy & daddy, uncle grandpa, uncle Nicky and Alex for her aunts… but mine has apparently stuck as uncle Bee, which is the cutest dang thing ever.)
Sharp Little Pencil
Hey, my baby-in-the-womb was called Beehat! And I am Miss Amy to kids at church… I was a brownie leader and they found “Mrs. Liberatore” too hard to remember, Laura Weinberger’s mother having a different last name than her daughter… so some of them called me “Mrs. Laura”!!
Anthony North
Superstition can be a crippling thing. Great words …. and word.
Sharp Little Pencil
The word was the only reason I wrote it. One of those trivia quiz words, you know? I’m not really superstitious at all! Thanks, Anthony. Peace, Amy
Tilly Bud
It must be terrible to have that kind of fear.
Sharp Little Pencil
And they are all so groundless!
Madeleine Begun Kane
Good job with that prompt!
Sharp Little Pencil
1313 Mockingbird Lane, home of the Munsters!! A
David King
Well, you can’t be too careful!
Sharp Little Pencil
Heh heh… um, like, yeah!!! 😉 Amy
andy sewina
Phew, I used to think it was okay to sit at table 12a in a restaurant, now I’m not sure.
Nicely thought through!!
Sharp Little Pencil
Ha ha, thanks, Andy. Hey, you never know. My aunt was born on a Friday the 13th and lived to be 98, full of vinegar and lots of fun, too.
Thanks for the kind words, Amy
kaykuala
Hi Amy,
You brought it home very well. Scared of nos.? It is 12A and then 14, whew!
Sharp Little Pencil
I’m actually not scared of the number 13, but the word “triskaidekaphobia” has always fascinated me, so I decided to make that my superstition of the sake of the poem! Amy
Kavita
hehehe…awesome!! I have resigned to the fact that every fear is a self-fulfilling prophecy…the more we “believe” in it, the more are the chances it will actually happen..
Oh maaaaaaaaaaannn..ignorance is so sooo blissful.. lolz
Loved this poem, Amy!!!
Sharp Little Pencil
Kavita, I had to make up a superstition because I don’t believe in them. I DO believe in karma, though! Thanks for the fun comment, it really made me smile. Amy
dreamingthruthetwilight
What an imagination you have Amy.