Souvenir: Turn Over a New Leaf

A bookmark is a virtual presence, found online. More technically, a bookmark is a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). So what is it doing in this section? Well, I am referring to an entirely different kind of bookmark, an actual touch-and-feel kind. Yes, I mean the pagemarkers, used oh-so-commonly, and often treasured, by readers. My alternating and overlapping love for books and art meant I was not just devour­ing books, but also, to begin with unconsciously, and later with a hoarder’s zeal, accumulating bookmarks. Witty and attractive ones were the initial draw, but I soon discovered thematic ones, then those made with different materials, then those from far-flung corners of the world, from festivals, or museums… There was even an occasional ticket stub. When traipsing around the world, I now look out for bookmarks. For most, it isn’t the most exciting, but I still treasure the ones I got at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Or a bookmark made of lace in Bruges. Even one of coconut bark from Boracay, which doesn’t really fit into any book, but by then reason had been overtaken by greed. I now have boxfuls!