Warmly appreciated, Max, for that saying-beyond of recognition or loss of
it. Tks. Sheila
On Feb 3, 2016 12:02 AM, "Max Richards" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Reading Matter
>
> The town Free Library was too far.
> From a local shop much nearer us
> my mother read, for a shilling
> or so a time, ‘women’s books’.
>
> Came the day when: Would I
> return them when I cycle past,
> and get some more? - How will
> I know what you’ve read already?
>
> Son, you’ve noticed for months
> my usual reading matter,
> even looked inside some.
> If in doubt, bring George Sava.
>
> She only had an afternoon hour
> to read anything at all.
> I watched her slippers lift
> and settle on the sunporch stool,
>
> the pages turn, sunlight shift
> slowly towards evening.
> Almost an hour in, she’d say:
> Have I read this already?
>
> Page one you’d think had told her.
> Old George still turns up in junk shops.
> Bland doctor’s stories for middle-brows.
> Retired, I read my afternoons away,
>
> serious demanding stories, some
> by doctors. Almost an hour in,
> however, I pull back, often:
> Have I read this already?
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