Booked II

Even though it’s quiet in the library

Things move like

a ticking time bomb

because any minute, some shit will go down

and it always does

The shelves are half empty

and some of the books are so old

just opening them up will make the pages

fall out

I take five books at a time

to a desk, flip open the pages

and wait for my mind

to stop racing

to quiet down

so I can hear the words

I look for an answer

between those pages

I wanna know how I got here

I mean, really got here

Like, all the things Uncle Rashon

was telling me about The System

Real talk

I wish Uncle Rashon was here

to give me the right books

Kadon has his head down

and his face in a manga novel

The bookshelves here

are not walls

They’re closed windows

and all I have to do

is pull out one book

to make these windows

wide open