Following the prompt of a platform called ArtoonsInn to write a poem based on the given picture.

Poem Title:The Era of Paperback Books

There was once an era,

When there was a queue in my bookstore,

When the names of authors and titles,

Could be heard from ashore,

–

When the smell of fresh pages

Invigorated the senses,

When the titles went off shelf,

Before they reached the store

–

When author-signed copies were sold for a deal,

When meeting the writer, was truly a big deal,

When pocket money we saved to buy the latest edition,

When reading and gifting books was a part of tradition

–

But time and technology, changed the word game,

Words remain the same, but frames have changed,

The touch of the book no more evokes senses,

The words on the screen, they say, are sensory

–

I’m devouring each word, each page and each book,

While I wait for that breed, that still appreciates,

The ink on the paper, still appeases my eyes,

The touch of the book, still feels divine

–

©Vandana Bhasin

14.04.2022