I’m a Book on a Shelf

There are so many books on my shelf,

never read, just there for showing off;

like me, ostentatious, closed,

never to be understood.

These books, on a wall so tall,

seeming so to be threatening

are waiting

to emerge and be treasured.

Dust me off, undo my dog-eared pages.

Unfold the stories that live inside

and know how I beg to crawl out

and be heard.

Put me on your nightstand,

let me make you wonder

or fall asleep

when you have had enough of me.

February 5, 2026