I buy books

I buy books
To tuck me in
With one more glance
Those blurry lines on
That page of vague importance

I buy books
To take me to
To many a lonely journey
That commuter train humming
That airplane roaring

I buy books
To bring home world
Of imagination
That mid-earth long past
That true love never to realization

I buy books
To listen to souls
Of originality
That gentleman who hunts whales
That young lady who walks on insanity

And I buy books
To wander in virtual reality
Between words and phrases
I forget
(Momentarily)
My own identity

Frank McCourt Passed Away

Angela's Ashes and 'Tis

Frank McCourt

I started this Pulitzer winning memeoir with high expectations (it was instantly a highly acclaimed book ) and was not disappointed. The childhood story, wrapped in the thicket of Irish culture, was sad, heavy and touching; the narrative smooth, poetic yet non-sentimental. This combination made an easy reading and left a lasting effect even after the book ended.

"'Tis" was a recount of the author's growing-up experience since he came back to America in late teen. It picked up where "Ashes" ended and more than made up what I felt unsatisfied after the first book. So these two books are essentially one and a very good one.

a sailing ant

(it was meant to be a joke - someone wrote a Chinese poem of sending an ant to a journey)


chip as the boat
leave being the sail
sat alone, the ant
pondering on his tail:

that gentleman will be fanning
the wind will be blowing
i shall say him good bye now
but where am i going?