The Book

The bird
Black and bold
Spreads its wings,
Welcoming you.
Scattered red splotches
Intrigue you.
Soft yellowed pages,
Long gone spotless white,
But the words are clear.
A borrowed book
On your bookshelf now.
Fold creases,
Marks, smudges,
Each from a different reader
Stamped throughout.
Once a black page,
Now a purple path
With red and black
And 391 pages.