When getting my nose in a book <br />Cured most things short of school, <br />It was worth ruining my eyes <br />To know I could still keep cool, <br />And deal out the old right hook <br />To dirty dogs twice my size. <br /> <br />Later, with inch-thick specs, <br />Evil was just my lark: <br />Me and my coat and fangs <br />Had ripping times in the dark. <br />The women I clubbed with sex! <br />I broke them up like meringues. <br /> <br />Don't read much now: the dude <br />Who lets the girl down before <br />The hero arrives, the chap <br />Who's yellow and keeps the store <br />Seem far too familiar. Get stewed: <br />Books are a load of crap.<br /><br />Philip Larkin<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-study-of-reading-habits/
