Ode to the book on the mantelpiece

Posted on by Reena Saxena

It looks defiant on the mantel below the TV screen
upright even when uncouth speakers pour venom
on an ideology the author stands by
It refuses to bow or soften its stance.
The reader smiles; that’s the advantage of a hard copy
It cannot be modified or deleted
Nobody can over-write facts to make them fiction
Not even the hardcore fascists it opposes
Is that obstinacy?
Maybe … less so than right-wing activists
Maybe less than its electronic counterparts

It smells of rebellion
I often wonder if the paper
came from an old oak tree
rooted in values of freedom
sending back messages
of uprightness and strength
to the ground
enriching the soil
which nurtured it

It holds strong against verbal onslaughts
From changing masks and voice chords
It hears the cacophony
brushes it off
till a soothing sound
serenades it to sleep
or a like-minded reader
picks it up again and again
That’s me…

MTB at dVerse

16 thoughts on “Ode to the book on the mantelpiece”

  3. I cannot guess at the book you write about Reena, but I love how you write about it – extending your review even unto the paper it is made from with poetic speculation
    “I often wonder if the paper
    came from an old oak tree
    rooted in values of freedom
    sending back messages”

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. Wonderful! I especially love this part:

    “I often wonder if the paper
    came from an old oak tree
    rooted in values of freedom
    sending back messages
    of uprightness and strength
    to the ground
    enriching the soil
    which nurtured it”

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  6. Well done. You did a great job with the form. You are right there is so much misinformation. I liked this line…
    Nobody can over-write facts to make them fiction

    Seems they do continually keep trying.

    Liked by 1 person

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