Edacious Olla Podrida

*
My edacious reading appetite led me into
an olla podrida* of books and I read every-
thing voraciously, shocked at a very young
age by the moral deprivation discerned in
the lives of the young if they dared to love
without blessing of holy matrimony, deeply
saddened by the deprivations suffered by
the poor, confused by murders

On finishing university I was free to choose
and devoured only books that supply energy
and inspiration for life, as a child I suffered
depression because I read too many life-
threatening, heart-breaking books, I was
nearly crippled for life, my will to live al-
most completely destroyed, I regained
my health by concentrating on

Fairytales and children’s books, alternative
science and spiritual material, humour and
comedies, I could never follow Tom Robbins
reading himself into one unappealing corner
after another, reading anything helter-skelter
like I used to, now I select books with the
same care we apply when choosing friends
and nourishing food

Wordsmith: Olla Podrida*: An incongruous mixture
*