To read is to tread carefully –

Respectfully – with empathy

Understanding the handling of

Subjects and objects and secrets

Told in a voice clear and bold;

 

Never once judging merely by trudging

Over lines as if cutting through vines

Threading into and out of the queue;

 

Acting and reacting; extracting

Personal lessons, private blessings,

Public expressions, common professions,

Eternal truths laid bare to the root,

Amplified ecstasy – the magnified melody

Revealed and concealed on the page;

Aware of the trust bestowed upon us:

Neither being too cruel nor too kind,

Ceding a space on a shelf or bookcase

Every tome has a spot – its true home –

Standing tall – standing proud – on the wall.