A Guided Tour of My Writing Space, by Ed Kline

A Guided Tour of my Writing Space

April 5, 2020

When you enter, the first thing you’ll spy

is the perfect writing center:

comfy chair, ideal for napping,

an array of pens so broad you

could spend an entire afternoon

selecting just the right one,

a laptop, with easy access to the entire 

world wide web for research or inspiration,

and paper blank as my mind.

Sit yourself down at my spotless desk

and gaze out the window – for endless hours.

Watch the people pass by, watch them stop

to gaze at the thistles, or wait for their dogs

to smell the roses - 

watch them and wonder

about their stories and their histories,

their pasts and their presence;

tumble them around in your imagination

without writing a single word.

On your right, the office opens onto the living room.

The cat stretches lazily in her tree;

the dog sprawls on the couch, snoring lightly.

You can hear the laughter of my wife and daughter,

engaged in some silly game

or bit of foolishness on the internet.

Ignore them.

Ignore the pull of their lightness and joy.

There is work to be done here at this clean, blank desk,

with these useless pens and captivating window.

Don’t let them distract you from the left. Yes!

To your left, you’ll see my precious vault

of good ideas,

sealed with a steel bolted,

multi-combination lock,

bio-chemical ID

with both face

and fingerprint recognition

so that casual passersby can’t get at them;

if only I had a head for numbers,

if only I could put my thumb on why

that screen won’t recognize me,

those ideas wouldn’t be

safe and sound from me too.