I scratched out lyrics
with a number two pencil
on the course pages of an
unused composition book…
a collage of thoughts
and dreams arranged there
the promise of a rock stars
the girls, the flash,
the fame was all it took…
I graduated to a clear plastic
Shaffer cartridge pen
peacock blue ink swirls
on Nifty notebook paper….
inspired by Poe’s dark
and gothic poetic images
I discarded lyrics for a
poets rhymes and rhythms
to share my visions
as a writer and word shaper…
I moved on to a
large yellow legal pad
giving me more acreage
to plant my images upon…
and a new Rapidograph pen
of pure jet black ink
that left a wondrous line
and the words flowed
across the page…
I received a treasure
an old portable Underwood
a clickity-clack black typewriter
a boys twelfth birthday gift…
it arranged my thoughts
neatly on each invisible line
spacing out the words
making my writing seem
so lightning swift…
I left home and found
the words had quickly slowed
as I became entangled
in the day to day…
with marriage and family
and working a real job
to provide security
and bring home my pay…
I received a surprise
from a special birthday gift
given me by my thoughtful
and grinning wife…
a sky blue
Smith-Corona electric
a speedy typewriter
that we both hoped
might change a writers life…
I banged out short stories
filling up paper by the tree
and sent them off to all sorts
of glossy waiting magazines…
I was told this was how it started
I read this was the way it was done
and if I overlooked the rejection
in obvious due time
it would led me to my dreams…
I put away the electric when
computers made the scene
it was faster, and neater,
and would correct all my mistakes…
it sent stores and poems galore
to one address after another
and received notes in return
which all seemed to echo
‘sorry, you ain’t got what it takes’
I write now for heart and mind
arranging my life upon the page
using the monitor and keyboard
on my fourth computer reincarnation…
I look back on all those pieces
like a puzzle of where I’ve been
and what I have become
smiling at changes and transitions
embracing dreams and limitations…
R. C. Arquette
12/20/05
2 comments:
I like how you've managed to meld the evolution of writing implements to electronic devices, with the development of your writing habits and change of themes. The specific mention of pencils and different pens and typewriters make this piece grounded, and to me, personally, also a route to reminiscing days when I had to type endless pages on the tac-tac-tackity-tac-ing old typewriter. (grin) Thank you for sharing this. Cheers.
Thank you for your comments, they are the sort that make me glad I'm a writer. You've given me a well needed acknowledgement for the years I've tried to make all this come together. It's quite satisfying...and if you could see me, I'd be smiling. Thanks again! - RCat
Post a Comment