Inside the Cover

Wrinkled and stained, Torn and tatter. A page’s value is not in appearance, But in bright, eye-catching content The sad sorrows of Emily, An albatross upon the neck, Each detail colorfully expressed In the flat confines of linen. To admiration! To love! To matrimony! To sin. To silence. To shame. To the best of times, And to the worst of times. Transportation to a new world, Bursting with life, with color Like splattering paint On a blank canvas. Those blind to artistry, to change, Whose fingers run across the page, Each bump ugly, never beautiful Not a color, but a blemish. A marble rolling through The maze of the mind, Decoding word after word The puzzles from this life and next. Vivid wisdom blooms inside, Though a rose may wilt On the skin.