A book loud and loose if not lusty,
Read and re-read to the last page,
Dog-eared oft gets but scarce dusty,
And dies of torn limbs ere her age!
While a tome beautifully bound,
Decorated wall-hanging wisdom
Like sword and armour of a kingdom,
Dies treasured a tall bookcase bound.
Or may long live not a page turned,
To die unread of ripe old age,
Or by next generation earned,
Yellowed, book-worms devoured in rage!
There’s a thing common— books or men,
But a few significant can.
Aniruddha Pathak
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/there-are-books-and-books-but/
