broken tired people – the sideshow

With fascination, we watch and read and even listen
To the broken tired people
The mournful tragedy
Drama in a few senses
Fitting to be snug on a couch with a cup of coffee
Scanning the words, mildly feeling the emotion
Trying to stay within the narrative
It’s not easy sometimes
The first pain ridden novel, the one
We were meant to write
Maybe the first one we thought about maybe not
Maybe the first one accepted
Or not the one we really wanted
In print first
Maybe the second book, really the first
Maybe not. Wherever it comes from
It comes to the shelves and someone browses
Finds it, reads the flap, checks it out
Checking it out later to feel the harpoon
Or not
Of the first page, the barb
That may grab or not
Pulled along to page 73 before looking up
The only one left here, lunch is over
Someone’s spraying the tables
For the mid-afternoon rush.