Poem: "suànpán"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem is spillover from the April 3, 2012 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by discussions with siege and kelkyag following the poem " lacquerware."  It belongs to the Edopunk science fiction series Lacquerware.  This particular piece was based on the abacus, an ancient calculating device.  The tanka form is native to Japan.

suànpán

a tea tray figures,
now carrying more than tea:
numbers, equations
gravity draws beads along
wires -- behold, counting tray!