Nine Ways of Looking at a Pen

Nine Ways of Looking at a Pen

Grace Haupt

I

The pen breathes ink

Onto the page

Drawing up wonderful worlds.

II

A pen

Like the carpenter’s hammer

Beating a nail into place.

III

The pen moves across the page

But I cannot tell

If before

During

Or after

Brings the greatest satisfaction.

IV

The swift creation of a signature

With a pen

Seals the fate

Of more than one.

V

Dark and permanent,

Mistakes on display forever—

A pen leaves

No room for error.

VI

A pen criticizes the page

Talks back

And continues the conversation.

VII

A pen needs not perfection

It needs to get it down.

VIII

I have seen rivers running quick and white,

Seen birds shouting from rooftops,

Mountains kissing the sky,

Rain feeding the earth,

But never have I seen

The marvels of a pen

In this space.

IX

My mind pours

Through the pen

Onto the page

And waits for you.