In the quietness of a moment, I absorb the words,
Factor the thought and author’s intent.
Suddenly my mind is branching.
Thinking, Searching, Probing,
All from the words I read.
Words are foundational
When I read, my mind is creative.
Building scenes the words talk about.
Gauge my mind, and display the metrics,
You’ll find my mind is far busier when I read
Then when doing nothing or anything else.
Lost in the thoughts and words
My mind treads lightly, wanders afield, then digs deeply.
Pardon me for saying this; I don’t mean to intrude,
Some like to acquire more lazily and let others do the creating.
And they sit, watch, listen, and absorb.
But their minds are probably zoned out of learning.
I desire to dig it out on my own.
Libraries of data are at my fingertips.
Boolean searches through indexed material
All speak of technology that gives access.
But walk into a library, packed to the gills.
Bounded material awaiting liberation.
Eyes! Don’t fail me yet!
The card catalog of old, the journals that were unveiled,
I would find trails of knowledge in a writer’s words.
If one could withstand the dust and smell,
Words, though sensitive to time and elements,
There is hope that you will continually find
The words another wrote to stretch your mind.
I’ve taken to reading the Bible each year.
I find my mind doesn’t work like it’s laid out.
A scripture opened out of the blue or linked
Like Thompsons, or Dakes, or one of those.
Like an Encyclopedia or Dictionary,
I go to where I need to be or want to discover.
So. I read. At times for the sake of enjoyment.
Even re-reading tomes from years gone by.
I’m looking for something to stimulate, placate,
or even challenge the mind.
Never fails! I find what I need. It’s there! Enjoy.
That’s why I read.