Would it constitute
a gross
infidelity if we
flirted
with each other
's
books?
I promise -
no passing infatuation
no dangling obsession.
Ours will be a life long
affair.
Dare I caress
your bones? These
spines with soft patinas
tantalize me.
Their modesty
hides cotton rag pages
and front plates turning
into temptations tightly
stacked shoulder
to shoulder on your
library shelves.
The back
of my hand
seems intent on
absorbing
the buttery
leather bindings
gold embossed
and moisturized with…
what do you use?
I want to inhale scents
where shabby silk ribbons
fall open to favorite spots
where you've resonated
and returned to find familiar
pleasure again
and again.
My tears come
to mingle with the
stains you left on
the page last
time your eyes
overflowed.
There's no way to
launder these
stained sheets.
My fingers need
no training to read
the sensuous
braille configurations
you order words
with. I've practiced
for years by stroking
letterpressed ink
blindfolded
before letting it
enter
my
being.
