télos is a tumblelog.

Yellow Shoes: A Preview

I lived in that small cottage, amongst the rubble of myriad artifacts, for almost two years. There were two large in-wall bookcases that I constructed. Each shelf on these bookcases were carefully crafted and set off balance so that the books would gently slide from east to west as they were removed for reading. I had more books than I needed, which is a silly thought because it presumes the conclusion that we know how many books we should have, as if there is some upper limit to the knowledge we can seek, or gain. Nevertheless, I did not love them all. Some I hated and kept because their presence provided some motivation in my own endeavours, others I loved for no other reason than the color of the binding. “Books are best when loved,” my elementary tutor told me one day as the wood smoldered in the pot-belly fireplace of her family’s great room.