shaving the number two pencil

i haven't

sharpened a pencil in years,

although i have handful

in the drawer

still in the box

waiting.

unsharpened.

waiting.

maybe it's been 40 years

since i last took the flat

head

of a number

two

yellow pencil, the color

of a school bus

and stuck it

into the sharpener,

selecting

the right hole.

was there a number one, or three,

or four

pencil? we didn't care

or ask.

we turned

the handle around and around,

then took

it out for

observation,

letting the shavings fall

into the trash below

where it

hung on a cabinet.

we seemed to be

always sharpening

pencils,

the others used down 

to a nub,

two inches long, not counting

the bald head of

the red eraser.