sometimes I am overwhelmed by words- the countless human voices shouting to be heard. and then they ask you what you love, and what you read- and you must scrabble for the words they want and need. but all the great ideas are blurry in your mind - what really sticks are those old friends you left behind amongst the cushions and the trees you knew when smaller- the battered books familiar: easy smiling caller who knows the way into your mind so very well, that you don't have to put your thoughts to show-and-tell. and all the places in those stories feel like home- they are the sea, and allΒ these new books seem just foam.