all I see

all I see are loops
yarn cast over the needles
and worked
added to, subtracted
counted and recounted
a web of lace

at my side
the skein shrinks
in my lap
the scarf grows

I count stitches in my head
naming each
as they pass from left hand
to right. increases
matched by decreases

lace relies
on what’s not there
the picture is in
the empty spaces
between

line count: 20