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Tertiary

a stream-of-consciousness poem

By Randy BakerPublished about a year ago β€’ 1 min read
Tertiary
Photo by Anatol Rurac on Unsplash

One, two,

three the hard way.

There it is,

the rule of thirds.

Two heads are better than

one, but three heads

is a little weird.

Heads or tails?

Flipping.

Spinning.

Heads it is.

One, not two, and

certainly not three.

What's up with three?

More than a couple, but

less than a few.

Not a very popular

number,

if you ask me.

Third time is a charm,

but three strikes you're out.

Which is it?

Third wheel

ring a bell?

No, not very

popular at all.

Two is company,

three is a crowd.

Third World.

Eyes wide open,

staring at the clock

blinking red,

it's 3:00 AM.

Stream of Consciousness

About the Creator

Randy Baker

Poet, author, essayist.

My Vocal "Top Stories":

* The Breakers Motel * 7 * Holding On * Til Death Do Us Part * The Fisherman

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

Top insights

  1. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  2. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  3. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  1. Expert insights and opinions

    Arguments were carefully researched and presented

  2. Eye opening

    Niche topic & fresh perspectives

  3. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  4. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

  5. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

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Comments (6)

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  • Stephanie Hoogstadabout a year ago

    This is a very interesting stream of consciousness regarding the number three and its different cultural implications. The number three is actually considered a lucky number and a very complete number in multiple cultures, oddly enough, so it's strange that there are so many different ways in which the number three can also be considered bad. It's a lot to think about if you're into numerology. Well done.

  • Dana Crandellabout a year ago

    At least it wasn't 3:33, I suppose, which would be half of 6:66, and, dang it, Randy, look what you started! LOL a seriously fun read.

  • mmm I like the way this poem tumbles down the page. very engaging!

  • π‘πŒπ’about a year ago

    It is amusing how our minds process things, and you capture it perfectly, Randy! Thank you for this wonderful example of stream of consciousness writing! Now, why am I awake at 4 am? Four foul balls and you’re out! Two is a company, 3 is a crowd . . . lol

  • Kodahabout a year ago

    I really love how you’ve played with the concept of the number three and its various cultural and linguistic connotations. Love your poem! πŸ’Œ

  • Sarah Lennabout a year ago

    Clever play on words around '3' and I especially loved the last line!

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