Pause for poetry

A few months ago I was involved in a fascinating work project at the intersection of faith and culture. Part of the study touched on reading habits among modern American adults. Most people today, surprise surprise, get their info from the internet instead of books. Much more. The hours required to read a book can seem almost outlandish to the modern adult. "Reading a book's a big investment," one said.

I spend as much time on the Web as anyone and follow the Google rabbit trail where it leads with the best of 'em. Even still, I feel sad for books. Sad for a world where books sit dustily on the shelf, and for the time commitment folks can't spare them. From birth I've been a lover of words, and there's a wistful part of me that wants more for them than the world today can give them. More sitting with them, relishing them, being moved by them. It's hard to sit with words when they come to you off a computer screen. They can collide with the deep parts of your soul from the screen, but it's less likely.