Bookshelf (noun): a shelf in which books can be stored

It’s so much more than that though, isn’t it

A bookshelf is lifetimes tucked away neatly in rows

A place that holds so much

Disguised as paper and ink

So we don’t feel the weight of the story

A bookshelf can trick us

A bookshelf knows we ignore

Not taking life as seriously as it is

Because laughing is cherished

And crying is weak

A bookshelf pokes

Reminds you that some days your heart is heavier

And some days that nagging voice in your head feels like the only truth

Some days tear you apart

You get a free pass at the bookshelf

The weight on the paper is not yours

The weight is someone else's

Someone who does not exist

At the bookshelf

You are not

Weak