A Library like a Box of Chocolates
By Jason Joseph

“Life is like a box of chocolates,” said Forest Gump’s mummy. But my library to me is a box of chocolates. Allsorts of confectionaries line my tray-shelves. One day I hope it becomes a burgeoning, multi-layered box of treats.

As a tiny tot, I couldn’t wait to go to the library on a Saturday morning to see what the next three treats to devour were (since you were only allowed three treats at a time...). I would wait for my mum to finish Generations’ omnibus then go to the library. But as I grew older, cravings for my next fix of triple decadence reading was too strong. Saturday mornings I missioned to the library on foot as soon as my body awoke.

Walking into the library of literary confectionaries, there was an army of Willie Wonka’s ready to help me choose my next lucky packet of books. Sometimes, browsing the shelves, the most unexpected delicacy would find me. To experiment with a powdered treat never before tried, and to find out, “Actually, this might be my new favourite delight!”

The Willie Wonka army all knew my name; we always made small talk. Sometimes they directed me to a whiskey chocolate in the grown up’s section while I was still in transition from the milk chocolate section...

My confectionary obsession started way before then though. We always had delicious Biblical candies with the prettiest wrappings illustrating the stories at home (Thank you Kenneth N. Taylor for My First Bible *in pictures*). And learning the ABC’s with Brown Watson’s Children’s Picture Dictionary taught me the ingredients that go into making delicious literary confectionaries. Eventually I learnt to make delicious Chocolate-Truffle-like stories, that one day will, hopefully, find its way into someone’s favourites’ tray. I want to have my creations in people’s minds, on the tips of their tongues, in their libraries to share...

My passion for devouring grew into a passion for devouring then redevouring, sharing and displaying (sometimes nicking from others’ selection of treats...). My passion grew so much; I sought out whole collections, whole series of different kinds of treats. Some I devoured one-by-one by loaning them from Libraries – like Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl – others I procured to my own library tray by putting them on Christmas and Birthday wish lists – like J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter.

These days the trays of confectionaries come in FAMILY SIZE (or rather student village size). Also, it’s so much more difficult choosing a confectionary of choice now. All sorts of scholarly nougat’s or strange marshmallowwy-type literatures that leave you wondering have exactly ‘what?’ to do with the confectionaries you are looking for?

In the meanwhile, my own personal box grows steadily, thanks to University Drama, Journalism, English, Afrikaans setworks and life and it’s acquaintances too...

Either way, I think Forest’s mama is right: a library (or life) is like box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get. But either way, you’re still going to have a taste adventure for the mind.