February 17, 2005

A Writer's Accessory

A Spiral Notebook

The bright wire rolls like a porpoise
in and out of the calm blue sea
of the cover, or perhaps like a sleeper
twisting in and out of his dreams,
for it could hold a record of dreams
if you wanted to buy it for that
though it seems to be meant for
more serious work, with its
college-ruled lines and its cover
that states in emphatic white letters,
5 SUBJECT NOTEBOOK. It seems
a part of growing old is no longer
to have five subjects, each
demanding an equal share of attention,
set apart by brown cardboard dividers,
but instead to stand in a drugstore
and hang on to one subject
a little too long, like this notebook
you weigh in your hands, passing
your fingers over its surfaces
as if it were some kind of wonder.

~ "A Spiral Notebook" by Ted Kooser, from Delights & Shadows � Copper Canyon Press.

While still on the subject of diaries, I love this poem about the spiral notebook. I think it's something every writer or anyone who loves to write should have. I usually buy spiral notebooks 'cos I just like turning the pages over. :p

Posted by DSD at February 17, 2005 2:36 PM
Comments

It's a great poem! Although I lean towards the non-spiral notebooks. My experience with spiral notebooks is that the rough-and-tumble lifestyle inside my bag weakens the spine and the papers tear easily. =(

Posted by: monoceros at February 18, 2005 9:48 AM