Desert Dweller

Most often I write poetry
on an iPad,
or at the desktop.

But sometimes, an idea pops up—
and I have to record it
before it’s gone.

Then I grab whatever’s available:

Sharpie on junk mail,
a pencil stub on a sticky note,
ballpoint on a dollar store notepad,
crayon on scavenged cardboard,
felt tip pen in the margins of old books.

I wrote a limerick once
in lipstick
on a paper towel.

I’ve never written
on toilet paper or a bathroom wall—
but I’ve considered it.

© 2026 Bruno Talerico
21/365