Quill :writing my story
Quill: writing my story I’m an ancient writing instrument of great magnificence. I’m a quill. I was born in the 6 th century in China and existed until the 19 th century, whispering words to parchment. I was usually crafted from goose, swan, or turkey feathers. Goose feathers were common, swan feathers were considered superior, and crow feathers were used for fine lines. I either had a blunt end or a pointy one. Thomas Jefferson kept a flock of twenty geese so that he never ran out of feathers. The feathers, preferably from the left wing, were cured by heat and dried to harden them. The tip was cut and shaped to form a point. It was all exciting in the beginning, being dipped into an inkwell and dancing across paper. I felt important to be used to sign decrees and poets to express their love and longings and scholars to record their learnings. I was also privy to secret thoughts in diaries. It’s quite a feather in my cap that I was used to sign the Magna Cart...