books aren't meant to be beautiful
impeccably pristine, high on a shelf
out of reach
of grimy little fingers

no bent pages
or slightly stained covers
from that coffee
you had last week

to do so is an injustice
like buying a ferrari
just to stash it away
in a garage for the
entirety of its life
until
it
inevitably
dies

books are meant to catch tears
or perhaps
drool
from staying up
for just a moment
too long
because
i just have to finish this
one last chapter
then i'll sleep
i
promise
zzz