Ink and paper don’t risk my physical health but can damage my self-esteem. Once labeled a writer, one has an image to maintain, but that image of linguistic talent is a mirage, a shimmer in the far distance. Step closer and the glow fades. Make one mistake with the pen or keyboard and the ego…

So said Allen Ginsberg. Yes, there’s a story in everything. My coffee mug, for example, though its narrative has no grand finale. Its history is beyond reach, but it is a lesson in paying attention to my world. Somewhere in the wider world there are probably many like it, but in my cupboard, it stands…

I’ve already admitted here to my addiction—nothing illegal or unhealthy—just pens and paper. Just? I’ll not live long enough to spread all the ink I have over the paper I own. I try, sort of, to control the urge to buy yet another pen or another notebook to wield with said pen. And because most…