Been in my head (my nose mainly) for a while. A simple poem about a much beloved part of bookerying. The Poetic Factoid is in fact, a Negative Factoid.

*****

bibliosmia 

as books age
they begin to break down
the paper breaks down
the ink breaks down
the cloth breaks down
the leather breaks down
the binding breaks down

what break down means
in this situation
is delicious little bits 
of book bit
drift off into the air
& into our noses

these exquisite scents
are special fragrances
capable of forming
spiritual connections
within our brains 
primarily because
i have it on good
authority that — 
old book shops are 
exactly what
heaven smells like

if i could bottle it
& make it a cologne
1. i’d wear it every day
2. i’d make a mint
cos all bibliophiles
love the smell of books

*****

Day 27 Factoids — thankfully not a word

bibliovore

while we bibliophiles
adore almost everything 
to with books
the way they look
the way they feel
the way they sound
the way they smell
(sweet angels above —
that sublime scent)

thankfully we don’t
get off on eating them