When the Khlebnikovs, Velimir’s parents, permanently moved to Moscow, Vladimir Nikolaevich made a list of things that had to be taken with them from Astrakhan. Thus, many family heirlooms made up the collection of May Petrovich Miturich-Khlebnikov: 91 items are listed in the inventory. The number 63 is assigned to a handmade pen. It was made from a willow twig and has a metal nib attached to it.

Comparing Velimir Khlebnikov’s autographs with each other, one can see how much his handwriting changed. When — extremely rarely — the poet worked in comfortable conditions, the letters were calligraphically even. If he wrote, for example, shaking on the roof of a train, they ran over each other, turning into scribbles. The poet used the strangest objects, like a steppe thorn or a porcupine’s needle. As to traditional writing accessories, a Koh-i-noor pencil, an inkwell in a poor condition, and this wooden pen have been preserved. This unique item is not in the best condition either: it has traces of rust and dirt, while some buds have been lost.

Pyotr Miturich recalled the Easter days of 1922, when he brought the poet a willow twig that he had found on the street: