the collapse of civilization

they are old shelves.
burdened with
dust and cobwebs.

laminated pressed wood
held together

by glue
and dials, prayers

each shelf holding a hundred
pounds
of phone books.

tombs on ancient rome,
unread fiction

of twain and Michener,
Ulysses hardback,
most likely never opened.

there's war and peace.
there's
the yellow pages

and reader's digest,

along with the poetry
of walt Whitman.

there's proust and ezra pound.

volumes of life magazine
with astronauts on
the cover

grissom, shepard,
aldrin.

is it any surprise that
the bookcase collapses
after moving it an inch
from the wall?

no. none
at all.