Lay Me Over Your Lap, Like A Book

Lay me over your lap
Like a book, please.
Turn my pages, read my words.
Trace the spine with the tips of your fingers.

Keep reading.
Don't be scared to read and reread.
Understand my words, my sentences, my phrases.
The periods, the commas, the exclamation points.
The ellipses.

Please, don't finish.
Don't close me up.
Don't put me back on the shelf,
Don't let me collect dust;
Don't forget me.

Instead,

Put me under your pillow,
Fall asleep with me
And then wake up.
Reread your favorite parts.
Study what you didn't understand.
Ask me questions;
Find the answers between the lines,
The white spaces that hold nothing but air;
My breath.

Poem by: e. b.
Photo: MidSummer Night's Dream
Photo by: Roman911