Poem in Praise of Paper

That there device, I hear it’s nice,
And yet I crave it less than lice.

It may not be a piece of crap
But I don’t want it on my lap.

It may upend the universe
But I won’t tote it in my purse.

It may be swell, but here’s the rub
I will not take it in the tub.

And yes, I’d rather drop down dead
Than bring a gadget to my bed.

Object of such abject covet—
iPad? No, I do not love it.

I'm a paper person, see.
Go—roll your eyes, bemoan the tree.

Paper’s passé but here’s the deal:
I love its soft yet grainy feel

No gizmo can eradicate
Paper’s cream and paper’s weight

And yet each page, fashionably thin,
Between my fingers remains in.

Don’t get me started on the ruffle!
Glorious sound! But perhaps best of all

Is the way that paper smells:
Subtle, smart, it shows, not tells.

Go stick your nose inside a book
And inhale. Ah! Mm! Yes… Look,

I know I’m ancient and curmudgeonly,
I’m over, out, behind. Only

As long as I insist on breathing
Books on paper I’ll be reading.

Hardcover and paperback
Here a pile, there a stack.

Clean sheets, black print, bound by a spine.
Give them to me! Mine, all mine!

SWOON comes out in paperback on the 4th day of May in the Year of Our Lord 2010.