Bookmarks by Valerie Parente

I keep on seeing these bookmarks
telling me where I left off
but I can’t go back to that plot
without hurting my heart;
maybe it’s time for a fresh start.

You see, I was reading for so long
learning how I could belong
and maybe that’s where I went wrong
because it shouldn’t be so hard
to appreciate another person’s art.

Now I look at my bookcase
a mix of textbooks on display
many unfinished but still I wait
because I’m afraid to turn the page;
for this chapter in my life to go away.

I think the problem with my head
is that I identify with all I’ve read
memorizing lines by accident
and prolonging the feelings I said
because I never wanted the story to end.

– Valerie Parente (6-15-2020)