September 2019 Blog
I
know I should always, always keep a working pen and pad of paper by my bedside.
Maybe a pen light, too. But....
The Un-Recalled: A Haiku
by Ann Wilmer-Lasky
The brilliance of the
Night before lies faint scribble
In the morning light.
Can’t believe the year is two-thirds over, or what yet dies
undone. But that is another story for maybe next month when the year will be
three-fourths over.
This month, I choose to bemoan all the brilliance lost over
the years simply because I didn’t have a pen and paper ready. (Okay, maybe some
of it wasn’t brilliant, but at the time it popped into my mind, it seemed like
it was.)
The latest incidence of lost words occurred about a week
ago. This month’s blog was going to be on mortality, and I had an idea (in the
middle of the night) for a profound Haiku of monumental importance (again,
middle-of-the-night-thinking).
My usual pen and pad
of paper was missing from its usual place next to my bed. Probably left
wherever after the last time I jotted down an idea that came to me in the
middle of the night. So, I grabbed a folded up section of newspaper and an odd
pen from the holder above my bed. What
could possibly go wrong?
I carefully selected to write along the edge of the paper
(in the margins) and confidently began to write down my innermost thoughts.
(Did I mention I didn’t turn on a light so I wouldn’t wake my husband or the
puppies?)
Several thoughts later, I carefully set pen and paper aside
and returned to my night’s slumber, confident that I could retrieve my thoughts
in the morning. (Please note that however much I try to memorize or recall what
I’ve thought of in the night, by morning it is gone.)
Next morning, I grabbed the section of folded newspaper and
searched for my prize-worthy jottings. What I discovered was that I had grabbed
an old, almost dry red pen from the pile, and the writing trailed off the edge
of the paper, faint and unintelligible. (My penmanship in the dark middle of
the night isn’t the greatest either.)
Only a few words were visible and intelligible, and I
couldn’t for the life of me remember the rest. I had jotted an entire Haiku and
notes for the gist of the blog about a writer’s gift to eternity.
Okay, there seemed to be impressions – maybe all was not
lost. I decided to try making a rubbing with a graphite pencil. I managed to
find one – just one – actual number two pencil. (I use a mechanical pencil when
I use a pencil at all.) Of course, it didn’t have a point, so I had to track
down a pencil sharpener. Which is not so easy when you haven’t sharpened a
pencil in years.
Those tasks completed, I proceeded to bring my writing back
to life. Such a great idea – just rub the pencil lead over the grooves and
voila!
Not so fast. Seems I didn’t press real hard the night
before, and my brilliance did not pop
off the paper. I even had my husband try rubbing it again. Virtually
nothing – I did retrieve the first line of the Haiku and the word “posthumously”,
along with a few indecipherable words, but that’s about it. I am now looking
for an art gum eraser so I can lightly rub over everything and try driving some
graphite into the not-so-deep impressions. (A soft eraser is scarcer than the
pencil and sharpener in my house.)
In the meantime, I’m tracking down a dedicated pad of paper
and a good black pen to stow safely by my bedside. I used to have a pen that
lit up when I used it, but I haven’t seen that in years. I did find a tiny book
light, but I haven’t figured out how to open it up to put a new battery in it.
Lesson learned, at least for the moment: A writer needs to
be able to write anywhere, anytime the muse strikes. If you can’t jot it down,
chances are you won’t recall it later. You may remember the gist of it, but
(especially if its poetry) you will lose the beauty of the word during the time
lost until you can get it down on paper.
When I was driving a lot, I used to have a mini-tapey in my
car to talk into – my only distraction before cell phones. It did the job. I hardly
ever lost anything I thought of when I was driving. But that is not practical in
the middle of the night. So, pen and paper it is.
This month I’m featuring “The Cottage” again. It is available from Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/ybobdpuy.
The audio book has been delayed due to “technical diff”culties" – not the
least of which is the cover art. The audio book people have very stringent
requirements. Nevertheless, it will be done soon.
My featured poetry for August is My 2nd Haiku chapbook “Life’s Lemons and
Lemonade: A Collection of Haiku, Volume Two: The Write Life”. It is available from Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/ycnu2kvt .
This one celebrates writing and the trials and tribulations that go with it.
Until next time, keep the faith. Keep writing and keep
reading. Enjoy what makes you happy. There is far too little happiness in this
world these days.
As always, I welcome your reactions and responses to any of
my blogs. I love to hear from my readers. Also, here are links to my Twitter
and Facebook accounts, if you care to share your thoughts with me there:
As all of my books are available on Amazon, I’m also including
a link to my Amazon Author’s page. Feel free to visit me there also:
