Childhood visits to our
neighborhood library mandated
pilfering of free bookmarks
one for each book seemed logical
never remembering that I
returned only the books

varietal bookmarks littered
my bookshelves, then desk drawers
a dedicated few made it into,
stayed within the confines of a book
permanence assured though
logic of placement rarely survived
relationships with stories, others
there were always new takes
to be read, placed in ‘used’ bins

even though marking my spot
meant  I could go back I rarely did
preferring plowing-through to
review, remember, reconsider
voraciously rumbling through
fact, fiction, poetry and muses

early technology encouraged
bookmarking pertinent WWW locales
but my pattern held; onward, done
not going back there on purpose
frequently asking why I was
ever there to begin with
what really caught my eye at the time

now there they sit in the dusty stacks,
no bookmarks protrude
and only when a book is pulled
from the shelf do I realize
that I long ago

eschewed bookmarks
and simply started to
dog-ear the select pages

– Mark L. Lucker

© 2016