Why I Write

Writing compresses my thoughts
Some escaping my grasp Like a 
Slippery eel some trapped
Manipulated dissected prodded
Then set free on a tether only 
To be yanked back, restrained again 
Observed

Writing shatters the chains
Of the jailers of creativity
Follow one rule, break all rules
Speed, steal, dive below morality
Test ethical boundaries

Writing brings back childhood
Smells, sights, pain, pleasure
The comfort of a plastic toy
The excitement of the basement

Writing persuades 
The tightest bolt to loosen
The rust cracking and crumbling 
Like flakes of baked wheat

Writing sometimes occurs 
So effortlessly that the words 
Connect like a pre-made puzzle
And, most of the time, writing 
Is as difficult as trying to slide
A slimy oyster into a slot machine

I write for nonreaders
I write for the oppressed
I write what I want to read
I write to think
I write to discover
I write for the sake of writing

I write because I must
There’s really no choice

Gaetan Pappalardo teaches third grade in West Deptford and is a regular blogger for Edutopia. His first children's book, Louie Licks and the Wicked Snakes, will be released fall 2011. Follow him on Twitter @gaetanp.