A quick sketch then a change of mind

A quick sketch, then a change of mind,

a path I chose, then left behind.

The rubber moved, a gentle swipe,

but not all thoughts are truly ripe

for disappearing. Not quite clean.

A silvery smudge, a persistent sheen.

The graphite stayed, a stubborn gray,

a ghost of what I meant to say.

It clung to paper, thin and deep,

a quiet secret it would keep.

And though erased, it lingered there,

a shadow in the morning air.