secret weapon no. one

i have an intense love for old books. maybe it's genetic, because my dad also loves them. there's something great about them, and i don't know if i can describe it very well. old books always have this great smell, and it's cool to know that someone a long time ago read it too. it's like a connection with the past or something. what i really love is to see the notes people wrote in them when they gave them as gifts. over spring break, i read gone with the wind (which, by the way, is a really great book. you should go read it). the copy i read was printed in 1938, and my great grandmother, erlene, read it to my grandpa when he was a little kid. i also found the bookmark they used, which was an old paper from the store they ran in iowa park, texas. (it was called bradford furniture and hardware co.) erlene also had a bunch of shakespeare plays that we have now, many of which contain her personal notes and quotes she underlined while reading them over sixty years ago. i also love to find old books at half-priced books. i found this haiku book there that had this note inside, dated august, 1965.

My dear Sister Rosannika,
Haiku is a Japanese form, but now and then an Irishman tries his hand-this, my attempt for you-
Warm summer friendships
Caressed by mountain breezes...
A silent "So long"
Fondly, Donna

isn't that great? i think it is. hurray for old books.