Dyscalculia

No doubt you have heard of dyslexia
But I doubt you know of dyscalculia
The former the scourge of the aspiring reader
The latter hinders any mathematical cheerleader

We are told to stop thinking that maths is quite scary
High intelligence needed for its mastery
The subject has been shrouded in a kind of mystique
Lesser mortals retiring in a fit of pique

Of course this suits those who find maths a cinch
No complex formula would ere make them flich
This allows them to take a superior stance
At our puerile attempts they just look askance

But the solution is not to simply give in
But start at the basics, that’s where to begin
With tiny steps the tough subject attack
Upwards and onwards, no glancing back

From simple arithmetic we might proceed
Not allowing problems progress to impede
Gradually attacking the language algebraic
Geometric shapes which are somewhat archaic

And so at last as our knowledge expands
We learn to tackle all the subject’s demands
Until all its mysteries we have expelled
Our dyscalculia completely dispelled

Ken Fisher