When I write in cursive, these touch-type days,
I have to sit up straight and concentrate.
There’s no pulling back from a word, once started.
No room for interruption until completion.

Each word sits in its proper place on the page,
with its legs and fingers crossed; there’s no room 
for change, without being smeared — or worse,
being wiped out entirely with White Out.

No matter what I write, in cursive, it looks polite,
like a thank you note – even swear words — which
makes me wonder what social media would be like 
if posts and tweets had to be written in cursive.

But the best thing about writing poetry in cursive is
that each word flows smoothly with a clear beginning 
and an end, unlike this poem because I know you 
want to stop reading now and try writing obscenities.