Blossoms!

I'm sitting at my desk at work,

Procrastinating just a little...

Not behind, not ahead,

Just about done,

Ready to call it a day.

Cut adrift,

Settling into a deep vale

of calm content -

of peace and haze

with no checklists to fill

and no tasks to complete...

And i get a jolt

and electric shock of massive voltage.

I receive a message which call up memories!

Of a bookstore I left back where

and back when!

I throw my head back,

my eyelids drift shut,

my nostrils flare with remembered scent,

and I am there!

Within my memory,

It's late and the day's far done.

Home and hearth calls

Traffic battles won

But a diversion beckons!

I park my bike

And hurry my feet.

A litany runs through my head:

Oh! let it be open!

Oh! let it be open!

And miracles do happen!

It is!

The sweet owner is bent

Looking to close the accounts for the day

And I peep in...

May I come in?

May I enter this treasure trove?

May I submerge myself?

Just for a few minutes...

And browse and bury my nose...

And catch a glimpse of far off places

And imaginary heroes

And palatial houses and cozy cottages...

May I smell the most beautiful smell of all?

The smell of brown pages,

turned by awed readers

The smell of leather wrappings

Dipped in mystic wonders

Holding memoires and fairytales

Hugging fantasies and maladies

Shouting for an eye to caress

Or a finger to fondle

Waiting for the reader

Who will cherish and drown

Within stories galore!

There are massive stacks of books

and books and books and books!

and more books!

And so many tales to tell!

So many dreams to share!

I put my toe in the store,

and I drown!

I cannot wait to pick new friends

There are so many!

How do I choose?

I soon have a stack

Waiting to own me

and bemoan my tardiness.

The store owner beckons...

Do I not want more?

He's willing to stay open

If I want to steal more of his friends...

Such generosity of spirit!

Of course, I will fatten his pocketbook

And buy him many dinners

With tonight's purchase.

Ah, I could not have it in me...

Not to grudge this sale to him...

So, I buy and I buy

And I go home happy!

My bookshelves swelled to happy content

And desirous of reading all within the next moment!

I miss them - the smells, the ceilings shadowing the books,

The enormous joy of being surrounded by books...

I miss Blossoms... the bookstore :(