As a small child I was introduced
To an endless world found in pages
A crisp new book crackle
The smell of ink
A cover to smack the table
Or your neighbor
The paper smelled of old and some new
But then I was introduced to heaven
The library with its majestic rows
A reverence fills the air
Mixing with the smell of books
Rows and rows of bindings show
Each book contains a world so fair
Adventure, politics, mystery, romance
Geography, self help
And oh yes, Dr Seuss
Each one has a nestled home
Hiding in place except for those
Skilled with the use of small oak drawers
We encoders know
The secret to the cards
And we all with due respect
Quietly find the book we like
Meeting eye to eye to book
With people of like interest
But of course we just smile
This ocean of words
Has tributaries into homes
You can check them out
If you perhaps have acquired
A passport called a library card
These oracles are sacred
So there are penalties
To those who linger with them too long
One can make a library
With little shelves of their own
And enjoy the new page smell
Crunched in a cover
But keep them forever
They become a part of you
The pages fan to find your part
A small breeze to get you there
Bindings worn from squeezing thumbs
They have a part of your life to tell
By the pool or close by in bed
Well liked books have covers worn
And pages torn
But they still beat an electronic glow.
The Rational Element 