They put the books behind bars
Locked them away
Metal branding paper
Sentences seared
Words scattered
Stories silenced

I press my nose right up close
Breathe in the dank musty scent
Watch pages curl and unfurl
Words swim before my eyes
Typeface tears roll down my cheeks
Stinging in the wind

I step back
My focus returns
But still I cannot read
Words have become meaningless
Infinite
Snapshots in time

I inhale deeply
Fill my gasping lungs with air
Watch the words expand, take form
I beckon them to follow me
Whispering their nameless names
To no-one

We’ll find a shrouded place
Shrug off our covers
Set our weary bodies free
Write our own rules
Dance in the hazy dawn
Sleep soundly under milk-infused moonlight

© Emily Hughes and searchingtosee, 2012