Taylor+Mali,+On+Girls+Lending+Pens

media type="youtube" key="44sXwJgqUyc" height="315" width="420"

=On Girls Lending Pens = By Taylor Mali

I walked into the classroom and straight to my chair, But when I reached for my pen, it just wasn’t there! I had no pen! or crayon! or pencil! I was stuck before class without a writing utensil.

I could have asked the teacher (if I had dared,) But I knew she would have said, “You’re unprepared!” So to be diplomatic and avoid the fight I quickly turned to the girl on my right,

Do you possibly have a pen I could borrow? I’ll use it today and have it back by tomorrow.  “Oh! For sure! What kind? I’ve got plenty.” And she turned around with a handful of twenty.

I really don’t care what color or style, I’ll take the fountain pen, I said with a smile. <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “Oh, you don’t want that one. It comes out all ugly. <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">And it’s made of pure gold,” she said to me smugly.

<span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Then how bout the blue? <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “No, that one hops.” <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Okay, maybe the green? <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “Comes out in glops.” <span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Black? <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “I’m afraid it’s having trouble connecting.” <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Red? <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “I’ll need it if we do any in-class correcting.” <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Look, I said, my voice filling with fear, <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Just gimme a pen before the teacher gets here!

<span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;"> “But this one always comes out in tons, <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">The yellow one skips and the purple one runs. <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">When the brown one dries, it looks real icky, <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">And the orange one’s covered with something sticky. <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">This one’s for emergencies (in case I get confused) <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">‘cause it’s clean and it’s fresh and it’s never been used. <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">I keep this one for quizzes ‘cause it brings good luck, <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">And the ballpoint’s splotchy and the cap is stuck. <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">This one’s empty, with the silver band, <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">And the felt-tip will leak all over your hand. <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">This one’s cracked, and that’s gone berserk! <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">And that would be perfect but it doesn’t work. <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">But here! Take this one! This one’s fine! <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">Oh wait…I’m sorry, this one’s mine.” <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 10pt;">I think she went on but I couldn’t have cared. <span style="color: #0b0bb7; font-family: Georgia,serif;">I decided it was better to go unprepared.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This poem caught my attention because it was very humorous. While I was listening to other Taylor Mali poems, I realized that most of the are that way too. But this one was interesting as well as funny. In a way, it shows a stereotype that men/boys have about girls: that they are too organized and picky and care too much about their stuff. Taylor Mali is making fun of that stereotype, but not in a rude way, so I, personally, loved this poem. There were two types of themes that I found in this poem. One is more of a joke: never ask a woman for a pen, they are just too complicated. The other one is: sometimes it is easier to go unprepared, if it causes more trouble trying to get something you think you need.