Scholastic Books delivery day,
from first grade through sixth–
my order, the thickest stack,
my eyes wide as teacher
sat them down on my
wooden desk

colourful covers,
the feel of the pages,
the sound they made as I turned them,    
the smell of a new book,
the weight in my hands

the joy of reading the title
and studying the cover–
guessing what stories lay inside

I would spend time holding
each new book, examining the spine
and guessing how many pages

soon, my arm shoots into the air,
and I look up
(the teacher, already looking
at me, knowing this was coming)

    Uhmm…Mrs. Spurlock, when do we get our next book club flyers so we can pick some more?