Reading ready

A man is reading
           a novel to himself
out loud
           in the library :
he seems totally
           engrossed
in the story
           and oblivious
to everything
           around him

He’s about
           forty-five years old
casually dressed
            wearing
trainers and
           a light jacket

He reads slowly
           but without
stumbling
           over words

I remember the transition
           to silent reading
when I was at school
           a minor milestone
to be sure
           but I have to admire
this character sitting
           in Holborn public library
on a cold December afternoon
            comfortably
immersed in the joy
           of his fictional world

John Lyons