Vellichor
The pages are fragile now
yellowed and thinned with time
but still the stories remain
alive and waiting to be read
to enter someone else’s life
and leave a mark
a sigh or second glance
even with the faded ink
and feathery edges which
belie the youth of fresher tales
Here in this space
the books embodied
hold all the love
the shattered dreams
tiny triumphs
and lonely longings of
an ordinary lifeThe memories of
hands that held
and not only read
but added to the story
liver spots on certain pages
snacks enjoyed now immortalised
in smudges on your recollectionsShelved now in the second-hand store
the wistful pang of lives once lived
sun that shone in days gone by
the wood became the page
the ink tattooed on the vellum
you chose to write your life on
© Tanya Southey
#52words52weeks
