Always Bring a Pencil by Naomi Shihab Nye
Have I mentioned I love Naomi Shihab Nye? Once or twice, perhaps… Anyway, I love this poem because it imbues a simple subject (a pencil) with more significance than I would have thought possible. Also, as a nerdy chemist, I prefer writing in pencil when I’m doing calculations because I often have to make adjustments and/or corrections. (Not quite as romantic as Nye’s reasoning, I’m sure.)
Always Bring a Pencil
By Naomi Shihab Nye
There will not be a test.
It does not have to be
a Number 2 pencil.
But there will be certain things—
the quiet flush of waves,
ripe scent of fish,
smooth ripple of the wind’s second name—
that prefer to be written about
in pencil.
It gives them more room
to move around.
