A Pen
Growing up I loved to write. I wrote stories and series for myself and it would be pages among pages of hand written stories or books. I remember I had written 500 pages of a book more than ten years ago that I still open and edit. All of these were handwritten first. I would use a paper pad and a pen. I was was always very picky when it came to using the writing equipment. My journal has a specific pen I use otherwise it feels like I had committed a crime. I once bought a Swarovski pen specially for my leather journal. The weight of it was perfect, but I had written with smoother pens before. Yet, this pen reminded me that I can sparkle too because of course it had Swarovski crystals in it. I kept it in a box that I would take out every time I journaled. This was not my favorite pen though. The easiest pen I have ever used was from a company that you could purchase from Chapters/Indigo. It was called poppin because they had used bright, fun, colors to make writing supplies wonderful. I remember the first time I used it. I was in university and was in need of very good pens because I did not have a reliable laptop to carry to my classes. I picked up the box I bought and picked one out of the box. I took the little gel bead off the top that blocks the ink. I placed it on the paper and it started to flow, it was the most pleasant feeling I felt in a long time. As soon as it touched the paper the pen wanted to write more, it wrote so smoothly I immediately hid the other pens back into my backpack so no one could “borrow” it we all know that meant you were never seeing that pen again. The ink was deliciously smooth writing across my notebook. I wanted to keep going even after I was done. I started doodling and found joy in writing again. That’s how much a pen can change your day. I know it’s such an adult thing to say. I wrote with other pens too such as the frixion pens because an erasable pen that actually erases. All that’s left is the indent on the page how ingenious! I remember in elementary they were “erasable” but you could still see remnants of blue on the page and if you wrote on top of it, it looked sloppy.
Comments (8)
Deep thoughts, love the language. Congrats.
Power to Top Story. HUGS
I loved your word choice here! Everything felt so meticulous and precise.
I thoroughly totally love this!!! I wrote an unpublished book about an alchemist. I am well versed in the lore. This isn't subject matter I see often. All the allusions are just perfect. And I really love your form, short lines for your poetry. I reads vertically in a way, more so than horizontally. I'm Bill. I've subscribed to you. It's a pleasure to find your stories. ⚡💙⚡
Amazing and Congratulations on Your Top Story 🎊
The shift from “I was a statue / grotesque marble frieze” to being dissolved back into sludge really hit me—there’s something tender about choosing unmaking before becoming fully alive again, especially with the alchemy threaded through it like a private language. The line about moving from citrinitas to rubedo felt less like a technical nod and more like a quiet declaration of readiness, like you’re stepping forward and asking to be seen and named on your own terms. When you wrote “Name me Iosis,” it felt intimate, almost risky—what does being named mean to you here, and who do you imagine gets to speak that name aloud?
Back to say congrats for Top Story
Dammit. I love when you get all clever and philosophical. Does things to me. Love all the reference points and the way you fully committed and worked through the metaphors to that perfect ending. God you're great.