Acquiring Old Books Poem by Alexandre Nodopaka

No, I buy outdated text.
No! Not out of date.
Simply ancient.

Not old in terms of antiquity
But dated in the sense of when
They were originally published.

It's not like expecting Henry Miller
To be obsolete any time soon
It's that his early novel,

The Colossus of Maroussi,
Was published nearly
Three quarter of a century ago.

I was one year old then.
Well, it's not that I was old,
It's that it took me time, like wine,

For aging, and to record
This writing into posterity.
Well, at least until my demise

Which by the way is the extent
Of my personal eternity.
Well, this essay started being about

The longevity of the printed word.
Not any etched word, mind you!
Just this particular 1941 edition

That lasted nearly seventy years
Until it fell into my possession
And my having forgotten it

For over a month on my boat
Exposed to the natural elements
While I was away on vacation

Checking lord Byron footsteps in
Paris and Venice when upon my return
I discovered the book soaked and

Green with literati fungi
Who appreciate the organic constitution
Of the paper if not its literati content.

~~~