Poem, Poet & Concept for Handmade Book

GECKO

Blessed be the morning
of childhood when
I found myself
sister to the gecko
acrobat.
On the wall of the room
utterly at ease
just like me
tumbler
on the edge of the planet

ASTRID CABRAL

I found this poem to evoke a feeling of nostalgia, and almost a longing for the innocence that childhood provides an individual. I also feel that the poem attempts to illustrate a child's imagination, and how a person's youth is free of worry and any major responsibility. As for the actual book, I have a few ideas in mind. I thought that I would some how construct the body of a gecko, and have the body wrap around the book. Another idea I had in mind was to construct the room that is somewhat described in the poem, and to place the book inside of the room to make it part of the scene. My other concept for the book included making the body of the gecko act as a spine for the book, and that my book would also take on the look of a childrens' book to coordinate with my interpretation of the poem. However, after some more consideration, I felt that by making the entire book and its pages into the shape of a gecko would probably fit more with the children's book theme. I am also deciding on whether or not I will have the book spiral bound or if I should have it fold in an accordian style.