Day 6: Wise Words
Exploring weird and wonderful wisdom with NaPoWriMo
Practice
Small chubby fingers throttling a pen
with pressure enough to tear paper,
frustrated tears churning it to pulp
Hold the pen like a baby bird, Dad said,
just tight enough to keep it safe,
not so tight it can’t sing
I practice holding, placing each fingertip
carefully around the shaft, baptized
in inkiness as they slip toward the nib
Guide the pen like a fish, Dad said,
letting it slip and dart as it forms letters
but keeping it always on the line
I practice guiding, until the vowels roll
and the slippery s slithers like a snake
and all sync’d like a whipping shoal
Treat the pen like a sword, Dad said,
words are powerful enough to heal or harm
but they do not write themselves
I practice and practice and practice
but haven’t mastered the skill or wisdom
to wield the pen with such precision.
But Dad, I’m learning.
© C. Joyce-Jameson 2024
