Herbert Nehrlich - How Many Sleeps

When I was small I liked to keep
a calendar to count the days,
and, too, the nights, that's when I sleep,
but there are many different ways
to keep good track of what's in store
especially the pleasant stuff
so I devised the rules for more
of what we figure as enough.
Each dawn I open a small pane,
a paper window, look inside
and it allows to ascertain
how far away would be the tide.
How many sleeps, so asks the child
until we hug to mark the date,
and in my cabinet is filed:
tis is the day and not too late.

Herbert Nehrlich

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/how-many-sleeps/