Poem: Bookshop

Bremer Acosta
Sep 4, 2023

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1.

a black
cat
stretches
out,
yawning
in front
of a
bookshelf

hardbacks
edge
over a
counter
top,
fur
stuck in
between
the pages

2.

sunlight
lingers
through
a glass
window,
suspending
dust
over
hardwood

on the
sidewalk
outside,
people
pass by

a girl,
holding her
mommy’s hand,
tilts her head
to one side
before being
pulled away

3.

in an
aisle,
cramped
in back,
covers
lean
against
each
other,
red
and
brown
and
black

a hand
feels
in shadow
for a
novel,
until
pulling
one
off
the
top
shelf

when
the book
opens, it
unfolds
into a
butterfly,
pages
fluttering
in the
warm
yellow
glow

before
being
shut again,
sliding
back in
with the
others

--

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