Why Read?

In the palms of our hands, the knowledge of the whole world we can hold

But it is tragically ironic, truth be told

That our attention spans are so limited that we cannot

Hold in our minds, for long, one single thought

We move from topic to topic, switching gears

Reading a complete article, let alone a book, impossible appears

Why has our focus become so elusive

Towards one idea why cannot we be attentive?

*

The only time I seem to direct my focus in one place

Is when I read a physical book, only then does my headspace

Clear itself of information overload

And switch into the attentive mode

I get lost in the pages of the book before me

And reclaim my focus, albeit briefly

*

We cannot from smart phones our lives cleave

But as a lifelong reader I strongly believe

That reading a whole book is one way

To build attention, to not let thoughts stray

From one topic to another- to wholly immerse

Yourself in a book is one of the most gratifying things in the universe