Watch your Tome

I am holding it.

It has soft deckled edges
as I desired.

And it is small enough
with a hard protective shell
to fit in a woman's purse,
even if women are wearing
updated backpacks
to make them look
younger,
I suppose,
judging by the cover.

The cover is just an entry point,
if interested.

I hold its
girth and heft
knowing it is more than mine.

In crimson foil shapes,
I recognize the letters lining up
down the spine
as my own.

It moves me
to turn the page
while cradling this
creation and holding it
to life.

I can smell it
as though it were my own
perfume, never the same
sinking in
to different skin.

I am holding
these things
accountable,
tangible,
reliably
resulting
in heavy thoughts
with soft deckled edges.


Painting by Master of the Mansi Magdalen [Public domain].