1996
New and Used
August 1996


“New and Used,” New Era, Aug. 1996, 24

New and Used

When I peeled away the plastic,

The cover was smooth and clean.

The pages were crisp, like an apple,

And the gilded edges gleamed.

The binding crackled as

I opened the pages;

The first breath of a babe,

Waking up from the ages.

The magnificent tome was unblemished.

And wouldn’t be useful till tarnished.

Years later,

The cover was battered,

And within it,

The pages were tattered.

Any one leaf

Would meet your gaze

With a flood of colors

Like the map to a maze.

Each little nugget

I’d found in my quest,

Had been marked and noted,

Then put to the test.

This book had a price, years ago.

Its value now? You cannot know.

Tiger Eye by Jenny Curtis

Tusks by Jenny Curtis

Behind Bars by Jenny Curtis

Redwood and Leaves by James B. Comstock