Quick, the Towel!

Some of you ... Chosen Words Regulars ... may have seen this one before ... and even my introduction ...

Because it happened again. What happened? Listen ...

It's almost automatic ... as I step into the shower ... that sudden intrusion of a most urgent thought ... that must be written down ... right now.

There's just something about the place, the setting.

It may be just an item for the grocery list ... or just a random thought ... an idea ... but that is a part of writing, I tell myself ...

I don't often interrupt the shower to commit these most urgent words to paper ... but I do try to retain them ... and that's sometimes akin to maintaining a grip on a slippery bar of soap.

If I'm lucky, I relish the shampoo ... complete the shower ... towel off, taking extra care with the toes ... and still have that special thought ... that idea ... as I reach for that little stack of scratch paper which is always nearby, ready, waiting.

Sometimes, if I'm really lucky, what I commit to paper is the beginning of a poem ... a thought that contains the promise of blossoming into something worth keeping ... and then I know this is going to be a beautiful day.

The poem:

QUICK, THE TOWEL

There's something

about a shower,

the steamy,

needling water,

the quiet warmth,

something, that

brings to mind

an urgent thought

of some errand,

some left-over

chore, some most

urgent task, that

must be written

on paper now,

right now, before

it goes trickling

down the drain

of forgetfulness.

© 2000

(originally published in Capper's)

***

Today's word: needling

Afterthoughts ... in response to your comments:

Thanks for those kind words, Helen ... and, ah, yes, I remember the bathtub days, too. How nice it was to slide into the embrace of a nice warm bath at the end of a rough day at the office.