on the shelf

you stop lending books.
they never come back.
almost never,
and if they do
there is jelly on
the pages,
or coffee stains,
or the cover is
wrinkled from being
wet and read
in the tub.
you keep your mouth
shut now about what
you're reading
and when finished slide
it onto the shelf
where it's in easy
reach to be read
and savored again.
no one needs to know.