Brought to You by the Letter ‘D’

The Letter DIt’s very early and I’ve been ebaying for a typewriter.

See, I’ve got a notion of escape that– apparently– involves an almost obsolete technology. I’ve got Zach Houston on my mind today, and my escapee friend, the letter D.

As alphabets go, this year has definitely been a Silent E, so far. Very busy indeed, and absolutely nothing to say about it. That hasn’t stopped me from writing, and it seems my laptop is giving out, one letter at a time. The letter D was the first to abandon ship.

One good thing about my current job fiasco is the typewriter. I had to type contracts on an old Selectric. I laughed when I saw it, but once I put my fingers to it, I adored it. There was no “Saving” or “Deleting.” Any “Searching” I wanted to do, I had to do on my personal time. Nope. With a typewriter, what you saw in front of you was what was— like Nature itself.

The Letter D and Googlepsy

Recently, I’ve notice myself suffering from what I call Googlepsy… this is like a mini-seizure, during which, for a moment I am either angry or disoriented over the fact that I cannot search a hand- or type-written object with a a Google search engine.

“WHAT?” I think, frustrated and confused. “I have to scan the pages for what I am looking for? With my own eyes?” Right away, I knew I had to get out.

I want to escape– to take my thoughts away from virtual letters and instant information for awhile. Distractions are everywhere, and they are endlessly filling my Google Reader, my blog platforms, my Inbox.

I know I will probably give in and buy a Macbook, with a side of IPhone to replace my current, miserable handheld technologies. But I just want to tell my lost old friend Letter D, for the record: I hear you. I want to escape too. I just don’t know if it is possible.

(this post was made possible, in part, by my husband’s fully functioning keyboard)

Elizabeth Howard

Elizabeth writes literary non-fiction, haiku, cultural rants, and Demand Poetry in order to forward the cause of beautiful writing. She calls London, Kansas City, and Iowa home.