Shelter Between Covers

colored spines line crowded shelves --

index finger absently tracing titles, I choose

where to escape, as afternoon light paints

shadow shapes across saffron walls

 

well-worn pages (comfortable), tranquilize me

like midnight confessions to straying saints --

I settle, as Boston appears upon the horizon

            of my entranced eyes

 

these thin sheets -- some yellowed with age --

are my refuge, elucidating the solace I find in words:

love in lines sewn together by extinct pens,

companionship in characters with convoluted antiquities

 

today the last shreds of August cover me,

like a layer of Egyptian cotton     I stand beside

Esther as she feels the rush of her bell jar lifting, and

            together we breathe

 

before I come back     sipping spiced tea

as the full-faced moon appears in low-sky luster --

a tattered ribbon protects my place in another world,

I smile, knowing my return is only a bookmark away    

Reviews

[Rita L. Sev]

You certainly do not get this experience from an e-reader... Reading this makes me want to go back to the days when my main hang-out was the library (directly across the street from our house) :) Though I have to say that The Bell Jar would not be where I would go for comfort. ;) Wonderful, warming poem, Sarah.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Haha Yeah, I find comfort in strange places... I think that this particular book has a special meaning in that it reminds me of college and the other fifteen times I've read it. :) Thank you so much, Rita.

[Astro]

This is the 'Neverending Story' of your life and the lives of many. Bookworm children of the literary idolatry. We who find more connection with the designs of a crafty writers imagination than 'la vie verite' or, perhaps not that we find more connection but a connection that affords a sharing of emotion as opposed to bearing its weight all on our own. Great imagery, and message expressed in your own personal 'craftiness'.

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you for taking your time with this one, my friend :)

[Astro]

You're welcome Sarah, when I enjoy something I often take time with it, to prolong the feeling of happiness that it brings.

[Cody Williams]

A very entertaining piece! Thanks for sharing it!

-CW

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you for reading, Cody :)

[Anand Sehgal]

index finger absently tracing titles, I choose
where to escape, as afternoon light paints
shadow shapes across saffron walls.

I am your fan . truly dear :)

[Anand Sehgal]

these thin sheets -- some yellowed with age --
are my refuge, elucidating the solace I find in words:.........speechless

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Oh, thank you so much...you are very kind!

[kublakhan27]

There is something romantic and comforting about a shelf of old books, as least for us writers haha Those old books just seem to have character and soul, qualities that have become amplified in this era of e-readers and so on...needless to say, I was able to relate to this quite deeply...definitely one for my library...well done my friend :)

[Girl Friday (Sarah W.)]

Thank you...I've always got my nose stuck in either a book or a notebook...lol Well, sometimes my eyes are glued to a tv screen becoming lost in a good movie. I think it is the natural need for escape in us writers.

[asdarkeyesclose]

'today the last shreds of August cover me,
like a layer of Egyptian cotton'

I've got that feeling today as well of the last of the summer that is truly of summer but this line captures that feeling perfectly. it is lovely and warm here today, just the kind of day to be out in the garden with a good book. that is what unites us here, that love of writing and literature. fantastic.

[B-poet]

I love the richness & depth you've displayed here in this fine write, backed by your knack for creating vivid imagery in a profound way. Great work again my favorite writing partner. :)

[Tom]

Yes indeed, so many here (myself included) can relate to the excitement, thrill and longing to get back to that gem of a book you have came across and are currently reading ! And the inability at times to be unable to escape its allure, such is its capability to hold one's attention!

Described so creatively in your ever appealing fashion !