Page Turners

PAGE TURNERS
FAST LEARNERS
INK BURNERS
BEGIN:
TIME TO SHOW
AND SMILE
AWHILE
MUCH TO
OUR CHAGRIN,
THEY FILLED
THE ROOM
AND THEN WERE
GONE,
STAYING SHORT
OR WAY
TOO LONG,
WANDERING
AIMLESS
CALM
BUT TAMELESS
FULL OF
SILLY QUESTIONS,
TOUCHING
THINGS
AND WRINGING
HANDS,
MAKING
THEIR
SUGGESTIONS,
MANY CAME
WITHOUT
THE CASH,
PERHAPS THEY
THOUGHT
IT CUTE
TO TORTURE
AUTHORS
FAR AND WIDE,
MAKING
THEIR DEBUT,
BUT THOSE
OF US
WHO’VE BEEN
THERE SOME
WERE NOT
SURPRISED
OR SAD
OR DUMB,
FOR REACHING
OUT TO
QUIET READERS
OFTEN LEADS
TO SUCH,
THEY CAN BE
SHY
AND WANDER BY
PEEKING IN
REVERSE,
THEN RETURN
WITH TIME TO
BURN,
READY TO CONVERSE,
ALAS FOR ONE
IMPATIENT SOUL
THERE IS A THING
CALLED SELF-CONTROL,
AND WAYS TO MAKE
THIS JOURNEY,
SMILE AND
NOD
SIT STRAIGHT
AND PROD AN
ARTFUL WAY
OF ASKING,
PERHAPS THEY
WANT TO
TALK ABOUT
THEIR TRIP
UPON A GUERNY,
OR BETTER YET
THEIR AUNTIE BETTS
WHO ONCE
WROTE POEMS
AND SWEET
VIGNETTES,