Saturday, August 27, 2005

My Fountain Pen .....

Ugh! Black ink on my fingers again! It's my fountain pen leaking, the one I bought last year. My husband, Ron, hates to borrow a pen at my desk. He ends up with black splotches on his fingers, too. I don't mind the stains though because I love fountain pens. 

To use one, I have to be patient, taking a calm moment to remove the lid before I can write. That is in direct contrast to my usual act of grabbing a ballpoint in a heated rush to jot down a note. The fountain pen makes me take pause. If I'm in such a hurry, why the heck would I buy a writing instrument that is hard to use? Well, I guess my penchant for everything old-fashioned is the motivation. And I like what the pen does to me.

It pulls me back to a slower time when, frankly, people actually had time--to pause and remove a pen lid--unlike today when we just can't seem to stop dashing about like meteors demanding speed and efficiency at every turn. My first experience with fountain pens was in grade school, St. Rosalia's in Greenfield, as a matter of fact. The old church school  thrived on old-fashioned ideas, and the use of fountain pens was one of them. The nuns forbade us to use ballpoints. Rightfully so, they feared we would scratch our names and more on the desktops. In high school, we were permitted to use ballpoints finally, and I soon forgot the old fountain pens I used.

Last year I suddenly missed using one. The smooth flow, the thick black line, the easy motion that puts down a mark on paper--no pushing hard or hurriedly like a ballpoint. You take your time and form the letters just so--it's like an art form.  I found a neat web site that sells pens. I can't afford them, but I am fascinated by the array of designs available--Sapphires, Dragons, Serpents, Chinese--the ornamentations are colorful and compelling. You haven't lived until you see a snake curling around the barrel of a thick black pen.  I got on their mailing list just so I can enjoy perusing all the styles each week. 

If you feel like stopping the rush and slowing down in a pleasant way, buy yourself a fountain pen and step back in time for a while. Write nice and pretty--slow and easy...





Copyright 2005 JO Janoski 

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1 comment:

  1. When I was kid, I collected pencils and pens. Today I still have several in the house and car.

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