Your Pencil Is a Working Writer!
It is Made of Wood Encasing Black Lead!
When You First Received It - Unsharpened
It Had No Head!
In The Old Days
One Took a Sharp Knife
And Whittled The Encasing Wood
And When Enough Wood
Had Been Removed
A Stubby Blunt Lead Head
Exposed Stood!
However
The Job Is Not Finished!
Stubby Lead Writes Fat and Cloudy
Leaving Unsightly Marks
So ...
Back With The Sharp Knife
A Gentle Hand
Shaves
The Excess Lead Away
Until Sharp Point
Comes Out To Write Play!
Time Passes
And ... Accidents Do Happen!
Sometimes Deliberately
Pencil's Lead Point Breaks
Below The Wood - That Requires Pencil Surgery
BUT ...
Now and Then
A Particular Pencil Has Worked Hard
Been Constantly Sharpened
And Has Been Written Down To A Nub
And
As Was Then Often Heard:
"My Favorite Pencil!
Stub Though You Are
I Can't Throw You Away!
Let Me Put You Away Safe!
You Worked Hard, and
Your Eraser Cleaned Clean
So Into My Tin Case Of Remembrance You Go!
Rest Easy!
Of A Time You Will Be By All Seen!"
What About That Other Long Pencil?!
It's Pretty
BUT ...
Sharpened Point Often Breaks!
It Is Soon Discovered
That That Pencil Is A Non-Working Writing Fake!
He Looked Like A Pencil!
He Smelled of Black Lead!
BUT ...
He Proved An Impostor!
He Couldn't Keep The Point -
He Wouldn't Keep The Sharp Writing Head!
He'd Break When He Was Sharpened!
He'd Break Under Pressure Of Doing The Task
AND
If You Ask Me
He'd Break Every Time
Work Was Shared Passed, and
He Was Called Upon To Diligently Perform Some Specific Task!
Thus ...
The Boss Is Disapproving!
He Has No Use For Masquerade!
Do The Task To Which You've Been Appointed
And For Which You've Accepted The Commission
Or
Having Disqualified Your Self
By Non-Compliance
By Non-Performance
Get Cast Out -
With The Rubbish
Thrown Away!
Be A Pencil
Sharp!
Don't Be The Fish and
Carp!
Do As You're Called
And
Acquire The Harp
Else Wise
You'll Be Thrown Into
Outer Dark!
*******
What Are We
Showing Ourselves
To Be?
Are We Working Pencils
Or
Exhibitionists?
