9 is a Secret (2002)

Renwick recounts a sad time in her life when a friend was dying and she suddenly became aware of the presence of crows The dark birds in turn point her to the practice of counting crows which is both a childrens rhyming game and a form of divination in which the number of crows suggests events in the future Eight crows augur death nine crows reference a secret Renwick combines these fragments with glimpses of imagery a bed the crows captures as silhouettes a mans twisted body to craft a lyrical and moving essay that works its magic through poetic accretion rather than narrative logic Holly Willis LA Weekly