between shelves

arqios

 

Between Shelves


The air here is thick with the weight of almosts.
Books lean toward one another,
spines whispering the titles they wish they’d been given.

 

On the floor, a stack of drafts waits without complaint.
Some are missing their middles,
                            others their endings,
but all of them know the sound of a reader’s breath
when they’ve found the sentence worth keeping.

 

I walk the aisle slowly,
palming the dust as if it were a kind of currency.
Paying my way deeper into the silence.

 

 

 

.

 

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Comments +

Comments9

  • sorenbarrett

    I love the last two lines of this they speak so much in metaphor. Lovely

    • arqios

      Thank you, Soren! In life we seem to be paying our dues.

      • sorenbarrett

        Most welcome Cryptic Karma seems always present

        • arqios

          Indeed, dear friend 🕊️🙏🏻

        • Bella Shepard

          I've always loved libraries, particularly those of my youth, when books were found on index cards instead of by pounding computer keys. Your beautifully written poem takes me back to that quiet, magical place. Thank you for the reminiscence.

          • arqios

            Thanks kindly Bella for sharing that joy! The card catalogue was such a mesmerising mechanism and process as well. The Dewey and the Library of Congress systems where like QWERTY and AZERTY 🤩🕊️🙏🏻

          • orchidee

            In between my shelves....are layers of dust! lol.

            • arqios

              Achoo! 🤧

              • orchidee

                You writing a foreign Haiku there - Hi-choo?! lol.

                • arqios

                  🤣

                • Kevin Hulme

                  It's a fine sight to see Children reading a Book instead of looking at a tablet or Phone.
                  Well Said.

                  • arqios

                    We never aimed to force our kids to read books let alone like them but they did pick it up 📖 📕👍🏻

                  • Tristan Robert Lange

                    Yes indeed, my friend…I’ve walked those aisles myself, feeling the dust as currency, breathing in the silence. You captured that weight perfectly. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦‍⬛

                    • arqios

                      Thank you, amigo! Nothing quite like that smell. 🙏🕊️

                    • Goldfinch60

                      Word written and read will always be there for us all Rik.

                      Andy

                      • arqios

                        Thank you so much, Andy 🕊️🙏

                      • Fred1794

                        Ahhh a love letter to the library and bookshops everywhere. I am a big fan.

                        • arqios

                          Excellent dear Fred! 🕊️🙏

                        • rebellion_in_sanity

                          A stunning work. The first stanza blew me away. Read it thrice. Great poem

                          • arqios

                            most grateful to you. The time that you spent on this poem is much appreciated. 🙏🕊️

                          • NafisaSB

                            your love for books and literature literally shines through your verse. .keep walking this path..



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