Without even looking,
you reach for the phone;
held up to your ear,
you wait for the tone.
Notes bouncing forth,
as you dial away,
on tiny square buttons,
without a delay.
A reflex as ancient,
as river and tree,
but in your great haste,
you never will see.
The keys on a phone,
you know where they be,
are not quite the same,
as on your PC.
The keypad’s inverted,
on calculators too.
Go check, if you doubt,
but sadly, it’s true.
So now we must choose,
the debate has begun.
Do we count down from nine,
or count up from one?