On Writing this Poem with a Pencil

First, the elements of the pencil

Are natural:

Graphite in a long thin cylinder

Sandwiched in a hexagonal cedar casing,

The metal ferrule holds a rubber eraser,

And so, I feel connected to the earth.

Paper in the notebook comes from trees,

And I sense its texture (like 800-grit sandpaper)

As I form these letters, much as I have

For decades, I am linked to myself

And my past.

The poem finished, the spell breaks

As I tap cold, slick plastic in front of

A hard screen to bring

This poem to the

World.

Dan Verner

April 12, 2017