the bookcase

placing a book
onto the top shelf
of your bookcase
is one too many,
it creaks and groans
then falls upon
you. you are stuck
and can't move.
war and peace,
ulysses have weighed
you down before
but not quite like
this. thomas hardy
has your leg,
grisham and tom
wolfe your arms.
sylvia plath and anne
sexton are
digging into your
thighs. mary oliver
is in your ear,
along with salinger
and the complete
works of william
shakespeare. there
is nothing you
can do to move,
so you read and read
until the pain
subsides.