Mike Barlow
Serial Reader
His weakness was hardbacked novels.
He’d buy a new one every Friday,
drive home lusting for its fresh unopened pages,
imagine the breath of papersmelling air
as he riffled its leaves.
In bed he’d clasp it in his hands,
stroke the dustjacket, which he’d never dare remove,
run a finger down the trimmed edge
and then with a quick and casual movement open it.
But his reputation began to go before him.
The books became coy, difficult,
snapped their covers closed
as he moved a hand to scratch his nose
or his arm began to tire.
And when he turned to make himself more comfortable
or pull the duvet from his sleeping wife
he’d find the pages turned, his place lost.
He’d have to take a firm hold then, press his open palm
hard down against the crease, force the book back
on the pivot of its binding and devour relentlessly.
Brought to a state of bliss, he’d finally stretch out,
and place the closed book on the bedside table.
There, spine turned towards him while he slept,
it would console itself with untold stories
the plot had overlooked.
Page(s) 7
magazine list
- Features
- zines
- 10th Muse
- 14
- Acumen
- Agenda
- Ambit
- Angel Exhaust
- ARTEMISpoetry
- Atlas
- Blithe Spirit
- Borderlines
- Brando's hat
- Brittle Star
- Candelabrum
- Cannon's Mouth, The
- Chroma
- Coffee House, The
- Dream Catcher
- Equinox
- Erbacce
- Fabric
- Fire
- Floating Bear, The
- French Literary Review, The
- Frogmore Papers, The
- Global Tapestry
- Grosseteste Review
- Homeless Diamonds
- Interpreter's House, The
- Iota
- Journal, The
- Lamport Court
- London Magazine, The
- Magma
- Matchbox
- Matter
- Modern Poetry in Translation
- Monkey Kettle
- Moodswing
- Neon Highway
- New Welsh Review
- North, The
- Oasis
- Obsessed with pipework
- Orbis
- Oxford Poetry
- Painted, spoken
- Paper, The
- Pen Pusher Magazine
- Poetry Cornwall
- Poetry London
- Poetry London (1951)
- Poetry Nation
- Poetry Review, The
- Poetry Salzburg Review
- Poetry Scotland
- Poetry Wales
- Private Tutor
- Purple Patch
- Quarto
- Rain Dog
- Reach Poetry
- Review, The
- Rialto, The
- Second Aeon
- Seventh Quarry, The
- Shearsman
- Smiths Knoll
- Smoke
- South
- Staple
- Strange Faeces
- Tabla Book of New Verse, The
- Thumbscrew
- Tolling Elves
- Ugly Tree, The
- Weyfarers
- Wolf, The
- Yellow Crane, The