I’m writing this poem in pencil
though I usually don’t –
fear of erasure sending me
to the thickest possible swath of ink.

Now I think: if I am not sure,
if I change my mind, I want
the written record of that,
strikethroughs and all.

So I am telling you plainly, decisively:
I am unsure, see how the timid
gray shows my hesitation

I am thinking about purchasing a gray pen

No, no: a pencil will do.
A pencil proves
that things could always,
any minute, every minute,
change