Reading Rates

I seem to be unusual in that I like to read
For pleasure, yet I do so at an unimpressive speed
Compared with when material is serious. I know:
Important stuff is where I’d make more sense to take it slow.
But if I did, my boredom might just grind me to a halt.
In that way, I’m still childish (and it’s no one else’s fault).
By contrast, with a novel, I may hang on every word,
Not least when I’m imagining what voices would be heard.
(And skimming through a poem is a crime against the art!
If that’s what you are doing at this moment, have a heart!)
That said, unless a story is engrossing all the way,
I always set a quota for how much I read per day,
As otherwise I’d soon run out of space upon my shelf
For gathering new books and think less highly of myself.
The quota’s not the same each time; it varies by the size
Of font as well as page length. I may want to rest my eyes
Much sooner if the language is archaic or arcane.
In general, some 20 pages ought to keep me sane.
That’s not including all the other reading done online.
Perhaps you think it’s silly, but I feel I’m doing fine.