By Colleen Miller
Nestled among the tall bookshelves, patrons of the E. Shaver Bookseller may be lucky enough to stumble upon an old typewriter. Originally used for store invoices and other business needs, the typewriter became outdated in the digital age. What began as a tool used for practical purposes has become an outlet for creative minds. E. Shaver Bookseller made the typewriter, and later its replacement, available for the public to anonymously create poems displayed in the store. This program, known as Typewriter Poetry, invites patrons to “just have a go, write a poem.”
Jessica Osborne, owner of E. Shaver Bookseller, says, “We are very pleased. It has been a lot of fun.” Osborne continues to add she is always “surprised by the quality of the writing,” and that the poems “are never boring, and it is always kind.” A quick look at the poems displayed above the typewriter reveals the diversity of writing that Osborne refers to. Haikus are mixed among puns and quirky messages are hung next to poignant sentiments. The poems are also diverse in their authors, with some poets listing their ages, some as young as ten, or their hometowns in other states.
Enjoy these samples of public expression from Typewriter Poetry:
“Each note is a step in a puddle,
a splash of color
in a soundless word.”
“I met you in a hall full of music,
As if through the mind of A snynesthesiac, the sound
took solid form.
pulling us together as if caught in a net.
In a moment of perfect clarity,
our lives collided on a single point,
bodies controlled through rhythm and the sheer magnetism
between us.
Then, as quickly as it had happened,
You were gone.
Inexplicable, but not forgotten.
-M. Roe”
“write now
we are having
pun
:)”
If you wish to read more public poetry or create your own, visit E. Shaver Bookseller, located at 326 Bull Street.
