Monday, January 29, 2007

Write Time


Writing class tomorrow and I haven't done the homework. Plus, I am on strict orders from the Bim to go to bed no later than 11.30pm, due to a recently developed inability to get myself there before two in the morning. (I blame an alarming month, and my need to talk about it on my drug of choice, but that's neither here nor there).

This leaves me with fourteen minutes, and a problem. So I thought I'd get over myself, work to deadline and just do the task:

Writing Exercise Number 2:
Describe an object using each of the five senses. Write for 10 minutes.

Two plain wood pencils, each with a pecky, wingless bird stuck on the pencil's end. The pencils are lathed to a finish satisfyingly smooth; the birds are spotted and bright. One yellow, one red. Chickens? Their beaks - and eyes - are sharp. I can almost feel the yellow bird's predatory peck, peck, peck, as it leans out of the pencil holder towards my typing hand.

I've seen these birds, these pencils, in an off-hand way every day since Christmas, when they were given to Anna-mouse and promptly popped into the holder on my desk. The red bird faces away, dismissive, singing its pecky-peck-peck song. That yellow bird - it has its tiny eye on me. But I can smell the pencil wood before I've even lifted yellow bird from his perch, and it is nothing but safe: nutty, of the earth, like autumn leaves. And the taste - that pencil taste! - comes to me again: school, long afternoons, autumn days.


Okay, so I cheated. I took far too long. It's my weakness. But I finished the task.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL took too long, huh? Well, it's still nice to read!

rachel

Anonymous said...

Hi Livvy,
I think I've figured out how to comment on your posts again, which will make me so happy if true!
Good luck with your writing class. I think you did a great job on this assignment; I love the way you take the ordinary and make it exceptional.

Livvy U. said...

Dear anon no. 2 (!)
I'm delighted you've figured it out - I've missed your wise thoughts. Livvy

twobuyfour said...

Ok. I'm not sure what "bolshy" or "chuffed" mean, and you spelled "color" wrong, but other than that you have a wonderful writing style and I wish you and your mother all the very best. Thanks for visiting my site. You are welcome any time.

Livvy U. said...

Dear twobuyfour,
Welcome! OK, so for my compatriots on the other side of the Atlantic, here is a page from the Anglo/American dictionary:

Bolshy - bad tempered
Chuffed - pleased
Colour - well, I love our differences...

Please do return for further such cross-cultural moments.
Livvy