*

to fill up


a completely blank sheet of paper
is not just a great temptation
but a task
that once undertaken cannot be undone

the ink cannot stain the paper
as it stains your fingers

it is confusing to decide
whether to do justice to the sacrifice of the tree
or to the words that emerge on the shore of my mind

like those shells on the sea
that are precious only when found

not only is it dissatisfying
to reach the end of the completely blank sheet of paper
[that was]

it is unnerving to realise
that the bullet you thought you'll shoot
had decided to make the pistol itself its tomb

it is then you face the necessity of a
full stop
a comma
a semi colon
or a run on