Road signs are good
but they can't tell you a story,
maps tell you where to go
but can't explain what to do
when you get there;
friends are forgiving,
but books are more so--
books answer my questions
and are never defensive 
they are welcoming
and never angry . . . 
they take me to places
I've never been
and explain what to wear
and what not to eat,
they teach me how to camp
and how to build a fire-- 
they rescue me from drowning,
they tell me to poke a shark 
in the eye.

Frozen by the freedom
to choose a perfect escape.