silence of reading

i like the silence of reading
flat on my stomach on the woollen floor
my legs waving upwards like the fronds of ferns
and in my mind
gigantic screaming monsters
or the mystery ship
scuttling crablike to the shore

i am lost to the spell of words
the enchantment of sea in the silent shell
i hear nothing apart from that racing world
alive in this room through my staring eyes
and the hush of my stifled breath
i miss the passing of time
the gale outside
and the very loud knock at the door