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Lament to the Passing of Paper

I learned to write my A-B-Cs
and form my shapely 1-2-3s
on paper, when I was a lad;
but now, since I’ve become a dad,
the era of the written word
is passing like the dodo bird.

The whisper of the turning page,
the musty, dusty smell of age,
or freshness off the printing press!
Oh, how those volumes eased life’s stress
with fact and fancy on each leaf—
their dying out’s akin to grief.

The thinness of a Bible sheet,
a thicker, picture-page to meet
approval from a child at night,
read to them till their eyes shut tight;
or else a book past curfew’s hour,
beneath the blankets to devour.

Those screens and keyboards aren’t much fun.
How shall I fare now paper’s done?

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Paul A. Freeman is the author of Rumours of Ophir, a crime novel which was taught in Zimbabwean high schools and has been translated into German. In addition to having two novels, a children’s book and an 18,000-word narrative poem (Robin Hood and Friar Tuck: Zombie Killers!) commercially published, Paul is the author of hundreds of published short stories, poems and articles.

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29 Responses

  2. T. M.

    Paul: Very well written. I have felt those same sentiments, but I could never have expressed them so well. I am learning to appreciate digital reading, though, so I don’t have any regrets about leaving paper behind. Well OK, some. Thanks for this delightful and nostalgic verse. T. M.

    Reply
    • Paul A. Freeman

      The library where I work now is somewhat sparse, but the positive is I’m finally reading all those classics I’ve put off for a lifetime. That said, on the bus to work I’ve sometimes used the Kindle my daughter decided she didn’t like.

      Thanks for reading, T.M.

      Reply
  3. Julian D. Woodruff

    Face it, Paul, the world is just crazy.
    Haven’t we got vegan salami?
    Why not paperless e-ragami?

    Reply
    • Paul A. Freeman

      …as I reach for my decaffeinated coffee!

      Thanks for reading and commenting, Julian.

      Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Julian, thank you for thinking of papercraft too! The colors and patterns of origami paper are amazing, to say nothing of creations completed by fingers more skilled than mine.

      Reply
    • Cynthia Erlandson

      Good iambic pentameter line, Michael; you should do something with that. 🙂

      Reply
    • Paul A. Freeman

      I was one of the last typewriter users, too! I’m just not organised enough to have my life in docs and computer files, although if I write a short story or article over 500 words, it’s done on a screen. Perhaps that’s why I prefer poetry these days.

      Reply
  5. Warren Bonham

    I’m glad to see I’m not the only one. Despite my best efforts, my kids could not have cared less but at least they were exposed to paper books. Their kids aren’t likely to know anything other than words stored in digital form. I guess that’s progress.

    Reply
    • Paul A. Freeman

      I managed to instill a love of books in my kids, but these days availability factors in alongside convenience.

      Thanks for reading and commenting, Warren.

      Reply
  6. Roy Eugene Peterson

    I join in lamenting the passing of paper that one could caress while turning the pages, savor the soft leather binding, and store in studies and libraries. As for that, cursive writing has also gone through a devaluation and devolution while currency is being replaced by digital forms of cash. We must beware that AI does not replace humans completely in the scheme of things.

    Reply
    • Cheryl A Corey

      Roy, I got my great-nephew a cursive instruction book for Xmas. He’s being home-schooled, so hopefully he’ll learn the skill.

      Reply
    • Paul A. Freeman

      Alas, my handwriting is difficult to read. If I write something, I need to type it up within 24 hours, or I won’t be able to decipher it all.

      Reply
  7. Joseph S. Salemi

    A great poem, Paul. Real paper, made from old linen and cotton rags, is now almost impossible to find, and all early books were printed on it. I have books from the 1500s, the paper of which is as fine and sturdy as the day those books came off the press.

    Reply
    • Julian D. Woodruff

      Good point, Joseph. Although the users of old thought of paper, ink, & beeswax as simple tools, they were valuable ones, not to be treated lightly. Repurposing of paper probably began when it was invented, and repurposing as a practice may have begun before the emergence of homo sapiens. Modern sophistication or higher consciousness it is not.

      Reply
    • Paul A. Freeman

      It’s difficult to get books, especially in English, where I am now, so I’ll be taking a half-empty suitcase with me to the UK this year, bringing back my favourite books and semi-retiring the Kindle. I envy you having some 16th century books.

      Reply
      • Julian D. Woodruff

        I don’t have such, but have had opportunities to study a few pubs & mss. from the 18th c. and earlier.

      • Joseph S. Salemi

        I started collecting at the age of twelve, and I have had some amazing luck in the acquisition of rare books. I own the Latin edition of Ovid that belonged to William Wordsworth.

  8. Cynthia Erlandson

    So well expressed, Paul, thanks. I agree. The smell of old books is one of my favorites — they are so fragrant. Also, I’ve read that learning to write cursive is better for brain development than typing.

    Reply
    • Paul A. Freeman

      Thanks for reading and commenting, Cynthia.

      Yep, those old books certainly fill the senses.

      I recall that my first ‘O’ level exam, which was English Language, I wrote using a fountain pen.

      I have found that these days I can write half a poem on paper and then transfer it and write the other half on a computer screen – though it has to be of a certain length. Also, with short stories, I tend to write a plan on paper, and then go to screen, though again, it has to be a short length of story.

      Reply
  9. Cheryl A Corey

    The history of paper is an interesting topic. Imagine the early monks and scribes, working on vellum. As long as there are people who love to hold books, newspapers, etc. to read, I don’t think that paper will disappear. Call me a Luddite, but I always begin my poems by putting pen to paper. There’s a freedom in being able to quickly scribble words, lines, rhymes, etc. – to make use of the paper front and back, something you can’t do sitting in front of a screen.

    Reply
    • Joseph S. Salemi

      You can repurpose paper by pulping it again in hot water, and making new sheets from the mash. When paper was made of linen and cotton rags, this was simple and effective. Today a lot of paper is made from wood pulp, and it can be recycled but it has to be done differently.

      You can also repurpose vellum and parchment, but it involves scraping off the ink on each sheet (which is a solid animal hide) and then writing anew on the sheet. A piece of vellum or parchment that has been used in this way is called a palimpsest.

      Reply
  10. Margaret Coats

    Ah, yes, Paul! Not only books and notebooks and greeting cards, but beautiful stationery–of course complemented by handsome handwriting. You’ve lamented what is wonderful to remember. Not that it will do you much good at your present residence, but libraries are in the process of giving away their riches to anyone who will carry off free loot. The screen and keyboards, on the other hand, lead to emotional outbursts and regrettable ruptures on social media because persons post faster than reason dictates. Would that typed temper tantrums might turn out illegible! I do think poetry is one practice where both new and old forms of writing are valuable– for free and easy composition followed by quick presentation online or in a book. Thanks for bringing up the topic and thinking through some of paper’s attractions!

    Reply
    • Paul A. Freeman

      That’s so sad to hear about the demise of library books in your part of the world, Margaret. Sitting in front of me are two origami boxes I made to hold paper clips and numbered cards I use for students to draw lots, so I guess there will always be origami paper!

      On the topic of social media outbursts, your own Abraham Lincoln used to ‘sleep on it’ if he had the urge to write a ‘hot letter’, as he put it. I do try to do the same these days (really!).

      I recall at primary school we had a yearly handwriting competition, always won by ‘GW’, a big lass who was famous for chasing after boys literally) and giving them unsolicited, unwanted kisses – though I guess a few years later they wouldn’t have been unwanted.

      Thanks for reading and unlocking some long dormant memories.

      Reply
  11. Ann Aufderheide

    Not only book and paper, but pencils! I still prefer the friction of a pencil to the smoothness of pen. I homeschooled my five older children and the three boys are all dyslexic. Writing, not printing or typing, helps tremendously with reading and spelling! My oldest boy, now 21, is severely dyslexic, but because of my reading aloud and audiobooks, he has no fear or loathing for the printed word and he loves to visit bookstores. He’s the best-read person in the family.

    Reply
    • Paul A. Freeman

      You’ll be glad to know, Ann, that I make my students write during class time (to avoid AI-fed assignments), give them spelling tests (I have a list of 500 somehow tricky words), and that I make them use pencils when writing exams.

      That said, I feel like King Canute battling against a tide that will wipe out the skill of writing.

      I’ve always believed (and discovered from experience) that if you make you weakness your strength, you’ll succeed in life.

      Thanks for reading and commenting.

      Reply

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