The scent of history,trapped between aged pages of books
and layers of time ravaged paper scrolls
Fingertips marvel at the frays
and battle scars of words guardians
Rough cloth and leather bound
Musty, antique aroma and dust fills the nostrils
as pages are flipped through, some eager
to turn, others reluctant to unveil
Typed words in straight margins
inviting the eyes into their story
Worn, creased corners mark journey's long gone
juicy revelations that beckoned
the reader, reluctant to stop
Exploring novel ideas, romance,
philosophies, and the mysteries of life
The rolled parchment
tarnished, and dyed in faded browns
by the demands of millenniums passing
Some torn and tattered
Others seemingly untouched
Creaking and moaning when revealing
Archaic rough script writings, of
past scribes, eager to share
the secrets of their time
The rolls, voice of the ancients
Tantalizing language and codes
The incense of deserted knowledge
consumes the air in their presence
The fragrance of wisdom
The visual spice to our eyes
For our minds, hungry to learn, must seek
~
© Bobbie Sandlin
~
For this weeks prompt: fragrance. I was on the fence, and then in conversation tonight with a friend, she said something not even related to this, and the picture of old books flashed in my mind. I had to open a document and write it down really quick before I lost it.
14 comments:
Hi Bobby. And old Bible or dictionary here?
My dad added a few made-up words to his dictionary. Mostly he did that to tease my mom.
I have his well worn dictionary now.
Thank you for some memories invoked,
..
Loved this. It reminded me of long afternoons spent at my local library getting lost in someone else's adventure.
You have such a wonderful turn of phrase.. beautiful :)
You've certainly grasped the importance of writing and beauty of reading. Loved this.
Ah the texture of old books!!! Waiting to be opened, print rolling off the parchment. A "visual spice to our eyes". A feast for all the senses. Thank you.
This was lovely.
Oh this is just lovely Bobbie. You've done wonders with this prompt. Bravo!!!
Loved this; it's my favourite exploration (if only it didn't also make me sneeze!)
Kat
The paper as part of the narrative. Beautiful. This was wonderful. I love the fragrance of text.
Old book stores are about the only store I enjoy visiting. This poem reminds me of that smell and the atmosphere. I love your last lines which hit on something sorely lacking today in so many part of our society: the quest to find things out! Great piece.
scintillating imagery,Bobbie : )
this is like a journey
thank you!
A true book lover - there is something about the scent of a book that I cannot resist. You did a marvelous job of adding in the other senses.
Thank you all so much. It pretty much wrote itself after a certain point. I'm glad you all enjoyed it, as much as I enjoyed writing it :)
definitely from a book lover, love the descriptions, I can picture books being open and someone writing with an ancient pen
What a great interpretation! I love "stories" old books tell. I am reading People of the Book which is about just that! Thanks for sharing!
I can imagine that ...very true and well said!
Post a Comment