PILOT PEN POEM
by Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser
The Pilot Razorpoint pen is my
compass, watch, and soul chaser.
Thousands of miles of black squiggles.
SOURCE: “Pilot Poem Pen” appears in Braided Creek: A Conversation in Poetry by Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser, available at Amazon.com.
“In a mood of faith and hope my work goes on. A ream of fresh paper lies on my desk waiting for the next book. I am a writer, and I take up my pen to write.” PEARL S. BUCK (1892-1973), winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature
Photo: Pearl S. Buck with paper and pen, 1950s.
CAPTION: “Damn! God gave me that pen.”
CREDIT: New Yorker cartoon by Danny Shanahan, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Find New Yorker cartoons at CondeNastStore.com.
“In a mood of faith and hope my work goes on. A ream of fresh paper lies on my desk waiting for the next book. I am a writer, and I take up my pen to write.”
PEARL S. BUCK (1892-1973), author of the Pulitzer-Prize winning novel The Good Earth (1931), winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature
Photo: Pearl S. Buck with paper and pen, 1950s.
“My two fingers on a typewriter have never connected with my brain. My hand on a pen does. A fountain pen, of course. Ball-point pens are only good for filling out forms on a plane.”
GRAHAM GREENE, British author (1904-1991)
Photo: Grahame Greene writing with a fountain pen, 1940s.
ON GIRLS LENDING PENS
By Taylor Mali
I walked into the classroom and straight to my chair,
But when I reached for my pen, it just wasn’t there!
I had no pen! or crayon! or pencil!
I was stuck before class without a writing utensil.
I could have asked the teacher (if I had dared,)
But I knew she would have said, “You’re unprepared!”
So to be diplomatic and avoid the fight
I quickly turned to the girl on my right,
Do you possibly have a pen I could borrow?
I’ll use it today and have it back by tomorrow.
“Oh! Furshur! What kind? I’ve got plenty.”
And she turned around with a handful of twenty.
I really don’t care what color or style,
I’ll take the fountain pen, I said with a smile.
“Oh, you don’t want that one. It comes out all ugly.
And it’s made of pure gold,” she said to me smugly.
Then how bout the blue?
“No, that one hops.”
Okay, maybe the green?
“Comes out in glops.”
Black?
“I’m afraid it’s having trouble connecting.”
Red?
“I’ll need it if we do any in-class correcting.”
Look, I said, my voice filling with fear,
Just gimme a pen before the teacher gets here!
“But this one always comes out in tons,
The yellow one skips and the purple one runs.
When the brown one dries, it looks real icky,
And the orange one’s covered with something sticky.
This one’s for emergencies (in case I get confused)
‘cause it’s clean and it’s fresh and it’s never been used.
I keep this one for quizzes ‘cause it brings good luck,
And the ballpoint’s splotchy and the cap is stuck.
This one’s empty, with the silver band,
And the felt-tip will leak all over your hand.
This one’s cracked, and that’s gone berserk!
And that would be perfect but it doesn’t work.
But here! Take this one! This one’s fine!
Oh wait…I’m sorry, this one’s mine.”
I think she went on but I couldn’t have cared.
I decided it was better to go unprepared.
###
Visit poet Taylor Mail at his website taylormali.com. See him read “On Girls Lending Pens” at wikispaces.com.
Photo: My Life as a Bargainista, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
PILOT PEN POEM
by Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser
The Pilot Razorpoint pen is my
compass, watch, and soul chaser.
Thousands of miles of black squiggles.
###
Find more poetry by Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser in BRAIDED CREEK: A Conversation in Poetry, available at Amazon.com.
Silver Birch Press 