81. Pen and Paper [100 poems challenge]

81.          Pen and Paper

Transient scratchings of stick-end in sand,
Smudgings of charcoal and ochre in caves,
Patiently chiselled engravings in stone,
Wedge-marks of stylus in tablets of clay,
Ink faintly trails on papyrus and vellum,
Luminous uncials gild parchment pages,
Quill and then fountain pen mark smooth white paper,
Ballpoint so easily scrawls flowing lines
Rapid-fire clicks give a pattern of pixels
Stored deep in atoms and magnetic fields.

14 July 2013

Comments: The history of writing in 70 words or less.

I do love the opportunities that technology affords, but there are also constraints. I have appreciated the advantages of writing my journal on the computer, instead of making entries in my deteriorating scrawl, which would fall behind rapidly if I missed a day because I didn’t know how big a gap to leave for the catch up that still had to be kept in chronological order; and the joys of digital photography took a while to be recognised, but I’d never go back to pre-digital days. The down side, however, is a niggling fear about the potential transience of the medium, as file types and storage devices threaten obsolescence.

I used to love the beginning of the school year, with book orders and the pile of new stationery supplies, and there is still something ridiculously appealing about wandering around Officeworks. This poem’s title has not ended up being as strongly emphasised in the content.

Themes to come: 82. Can You Hear Me? 83. Heal; 84. Out Cold; 85. Spiral; 86. Seeing Red

Explanation about the 100 poems challenge here.