approach the shelves
& find yourself
between the titles on spines & bones
endpapers & front matter
buttress your thoughts
& out your innards
caress the pages
& hear their whispers
between the walls all echoes & cries
an index of truth & lies
& vibes besides
all for your disbelieving ears & eyes
savour the words
& feel their taste
between the tongue & palate
then show me the words
like a string of spaghetti
unspool from your lips to my plate
sweep up the breadcrumbs
& pocket them
between the smartphone & mint drops
then pull away the parentheses
of forbearance from my mouth
& kiss while the present tense is rightly wrong
by TETIANA ALEKSINA & TONY SINGLE
© All rights reserved 2025
unbolt me 
Wow! I really love this one! There is a magic found in reading (especially with awakened sensory actions of physical books – the smell of the paper, sound of turning pages, feeling the texture of the pages and cover and the patterns the words make or some pictures on occasion). You have captured the magic here. And let’s not forget the story that plays out vividly in your mind… a pure delight!
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You’ve just described it perfectly! I really love that ‘new book smell’ you get when you crack open your most recent purchase from the local book store. Magic!
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Just let me pause, allow me to breathe, to take in the scent of words and thoughts and emotions, sublime
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Thank you, Crispina. So kind! 😄🙏
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