Tsundoku

Whispers

Names and places

Heroes and villains

Conflicts whisper in my ear

A thousand worlds lie waiting near

Contained in a private forest

Rank on rank

Row on row

Oh, the places I can go

Scent of age

Sense of time

Works of art frozen in their prime

Hidden stories waiting there

Within my reach

Oh, the wonders they could teach

Me to dream if only I

Reach out and untie

Their meanings from their twining words

But I let them linger there

Whispers floating from their dusty pages

Drifting promises through the dusty air

Places that never were

Places I can go

If only I were to throw

Myself between their heavy pages

And revel in the wealth of ages

Contained within their laden pages

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To the best of my knowledge, "tsundoku" is a Japanese phrase referring to the act of collecting books and letting them accumulate unread. There is an sense of joy and anticipation in knowing that they hold stories waiting to be told.

So that's my new excuse. Thank you for comming to my TedTalk