The last few novels I’ve read (well, almost finished) to the trending TV shows 

Have left me with a feeling of dread and in the throes

None of the characters have conviction 

It’s so painful to observe, to watch 

I’m left in a state of suspension

As I close the book and turn the TV off 

And non-fiction often puts me to sleep 

I decided on a Saturday afternoon to try something new

I went to the library

Snuck in, quiet as a fairy

To my annoyance, there was a guy in the back strumming a guitar

In the TEEN ZONE – a world apart 

Why didn’t the librarian shut it down?

I walked by the “Beach Reads” – just looking at the covers made me frown

I wandered the aisles, full of shiny-covered smut

Who’s cheating on who, what’s new

You know what?

I decided I’d opt for male authors 

Maybe they’ve got something else to offer

Mr. Kruger or similar 

Hmm, maybe a foreign female writer could be the cure?

I skipped over books with the blue Mystery stickers 

I didn’t even look at the book cover’s pictures 

Is there anyone to tell me a story?

I need some adventure, a getaway 

Dogs in the forest, a vulnerable tourist, a faithful friendship 

Nothing gory 

The guitar guy played as I wandered the library in a daze

Looking for something worth reading

Something I could see myself completing 

I found myself in non-fiction 

A memoir about growing up in church 

I thought it couldn’t hurt

So I read there in the aisle 

The librarian, an older woman, sauntered over and whispered, “That definitely won’t make you smile”

The guitarist later turned up in non-fiction 

He said, “For me, books just never cut it, so I stuck with my predilection”

“She’s my mom,” he said, nodding to the librarian now at her desk 

He said, “She never lets me out of her sight, so I guess playing here is my right”

Unbeknownst to us, the woman was watching 

Some years back she’d turn to reading people 

As I checked out, she looked me in the eye and said, “Enjoy your non-fiction. The whole world is rotting”

Then she went back to what she’d been sitting there typing