Page Watching

I've been page watching
For the past few weeks
Mostly during my lunchbreak
Or when I'm on the bus


Some people call it reading
But I think they're missing the point
I don't just look at the words
I look at the spaces and the numbers too


I find second-hand books the most rewarding
You can trace the signs of age
The imprint of ownership
In every crease and every fold


I know what you're going to say
Why not just stare at a blank page
If you're not interested in the characters or the plot
Then why bother to even look


But for me it's not about what's there
But what's not
And after an afternoon of page watching
I might go and read a book