Book notes
a stroll among the shelves
He asked the wise doctor in the interview
well, then, why do we age?
Because we want to, the doctor answered
(wiser than I expected him to be)
Our soul wants the whole story
all the stories
a two-year-old's view,
an eighty-two-year-old's view
Yes, my soul agrees,
like in the fourth grade when I read
every biography in the school library
I wanted to know about all the lives
all the different lives
I've lived about ten by now
just in my own life
I find myself browsing the shelves
even now
looking for a good one next
Oh, the curiosity, Oh the wonder
of all that is
right there in my Right pocket
And in my Left?
all that is left
of the books I have already read
Can I turn them all in now?
Oh, the uncertainty, Oh the danger
my human clutches itself at the idea
I hold still a moment
but keep breathing
My thoughts reach back into all
the nostalgic stories
gone by
My soul comes forth with a smile
Come on, girlfriend,
you've walked the fire
Look at all these books
(Left) to read
(Right) in front of you
I smile back, knowing
I'm not afraid
I'm not afraid of the whole dang library
Books are power.