I had a revelation last night while reading (in the tub)

I don’t have to read anything

Neither do you 

You won’t start bleeding 

Your brain won’t turn into a nub 

Be free to use the newspaper for scooping up pet waste 

Leave books on the shelf if they don’t suit your taste 

Emails? Delete ‘em 

You won’t hurt anyone

Let your brain take a breather

Read less, even 

You don’t have to be an overachiever

You could also read slower 

Let a book last you several months or just an entire flight

Let it lull you to sleep – or keep you up – all night 

And you don’t have to retain anything 

Let what you’re holding be a fleeting pleasure 

The best moments in life, the magnitude of people – books could never really measure 

You’ve got permission 

Not that you needed it 

But you should believe it 

That it’s okay to read for fun 

To not read everything – or even anything but the wall

Sometimes all you need in this life is a good stall

And if a book gets you there, great 

But know that picking up words and stories 

Should be like eating cake

Or drifting in a river 

The goal isn’t to get bigger 

But maybe to recharge, to relax, to unwind in a bath

Let reading do for you whatever you ask 

It works like that

It’ll be happy to