reading in the library

quiet. and suddenly you look up from the page... familiarizing yourself with reality outside the binding. has it only been an hour? it seems like an eternity that you've been lost between the lines, down lanes, at cocktail parties, watching people's upper lips, back in the 1950s, the 30s, in the mysteries of a marriage... it is a strange feeling to look around and see that the world is still going about its normal business, unaware of where you have just been. you reluctantly slide the book back into its neatly stacked place, and as you approach the door, you take one more breath to revere this silent alternate reality before stepping into the cold and misty existence that is yours.