A Pen Is a Magical Object


Our mothers are the Sirens of our lives, according to Riber Hansson in his poem at once drawn and written. Our mothers gave us the key to reveal the essence of life otherwise hidden. The English translation from Riber's original Swedish version is below:

Det var mor
som visade mig pennorna.
En penna är ett magiskt föremål.
Om man drar spetsen över ett papper
hämtar den upp linjer som ligger
osynliga under ytan.
Spår som inte försvinner
när pennan lyfts.
Många tecknare tror att fenomenet
är en hos materien inneboende egenskap,
trots att bevis för denna teori fortfarande saknas.

It was my mother
who introduced me to the pens.
A pen is a magical object.
If you draw the nib across a piece of paper
it picks up lines which are running
invisibly below the surface.
Tracks that do not disappear
when the pen is lifted.
Many artists believe that the phenomenon
is an intrinsic property of the matter
although evidence for this theory is still missing.



Riber Hansson, June 14, 2011.



The cartoon shown is courtesy of Riber Hansson and must not be reproduced without his permission.


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