Beetles, Moths, Silverfish, Book Lice, and Mold

One author lists the enemies
Of codices of papyrus
And vellum. Even bricks crumble.

Leaving aside people who know,
More or less, what they’re destroying,
The powers inherent in words,

What damages birch bark, bamboo,
Silk, and parchment are, in the main,
Just hungry. Moths need to lay eggs.

Their larvae, like mold, need to grow.
None of them care about the words,
Unless some kind of god’s in them,

Some kind of text-hating demon.
Meaning, the ghost of Claude Shannon.