cwolfe@pitt.edu

Scribbling

For me, fiction works better on the computer
'cause you can cut & paste
when you reread it, and you see
that Zora never gave the kid
an opportunity to see
she cared about him so
before the girl showed up
to claim his heart
so you go back and paste that portion
in.
But poetry works better
on a yellow legal sheet
the thoughts are choppy and can be crossed out
and rewritten.

When I wake in the middle of the night
in a cold sweat
exactly what I want to say
to my husband, or Mick Jagger
or my recalcitrant friend Cary
just dangling from my brain
I grab that tablet
no time to sit and turn on knobs
and buttons
13 little steps from click
<on> to mouse to Word
I'll type it later if I don't lose it.
Poetry
that tactile sensation of scribbling
first the first time
then, after cross out strokes
and arrows
scribble again.

Or in a car at a red light
rip a page from the mileage log book
god forbid the manufacturer's instructions
just a sheet of paper
for that great idea
inspired by, then twisted, from the radio
yes the radio
administrator
alligator
who cheated you
and a whole school full of kids.
I'll write it later
but for now I'll scribble on this kleenex
for me, poetry works better
in bits and pieces.

© Copyright, C. Wolfe, 1999.
All Rights Reserved. Printed By Permission.