writing:
it's hand exercise, it's scripting, it's graphic art, in a sense
it's sensory: the sharpness of the pen strokes against paper,
the clicking of the keyboard,

it's calligraphy, or typography, it's instant gratification,
it's thoughts made extant, for viewing:
inky thoughts on canvas, to be reckoned with
by eyes & brain,

writing is natural, it makes one feel better,
it's a personal ritual, it's pride making,
children love the crayon, adults love the pen

it's physical synchronization
of the fingers, wrist, shoulder and tendons
(like painting, like sculpting)
it's beautiful work, intentioned work

it's calming to even the most marginal of society
it slows an active mind down somewhat
it focuses the brain to pour forth pressures within,
it suspends time, in a sense

one stares at the clock less while writing,
one breathes better while writing,
one may even search for a quiet place
to write solemnly,
adding to the personal ritual

some can even create quiet from writing itself
closing off the violence & inanities of the world,
if just for a few moments, weaving a word curtain
or semiotic security blanket

in terms of work, writing is egalitarian:
farmers have nature to write on with their plows,
but for inner-city folk, the plow is the pen
for the poor, the writing act is akin to owning a BMW roadster
or a fancy house on the hill: it satisfies large inequities

to allow persons not to learn to write (& write well)
is torture against humanity,
to withhold equitable education is rank subjugation,
cruelty & racism

every child in sub-saharan africa should
have crayons and paper, and a school,
every child in the poorest barrios of mexico & peru
should have crayons, paper, and a stapler to make books

the United Nations should drop-ship crayons, paper
& colouring books to the neediest children by helicopter
with instructions for the kids to tell their own stories
and create their own narratives

of course, evildoers will steal the crayons,
re-sell the crayons, chop off arms and hands,
make crayons a symbol of derision, as they do
with everything else

this reminds me of an old poem about a poor man
who gave thanks everyday to his creator for sunshine;
in the poem the poor man thanks god that the rich devils
can never take away god's ubiquitous sunshine
from the untouchables -
the poem ends with the poor man being thrown in prison,
to dark solitary confinement, his eyes removed,
& forced to make license plates

writing can be done in secret - it is portable
one can write about a false god or a cruel
government and smuggle the message out,
one can assume a pseudonym, an alias, an avatar
and write about the condition of the world

writing can be manipulated & made propaganda,
laws can be written that make the rich richer & the poor poorer,
legal briefs can be made to make the worker a common herd animal,
lies can be put to dramatic effect,
words can become tools of coercion -
anti-poetry, if you will

writing is thinking
made extant, like type-sculpture,
it's the architecture of your
thoughts, it leaves
an historic portrait of who you
are, the saving grace
of mankind:

in the context of words,
truth wills out.