"I Was In Barnes And Noble..."

just a view from another kind of curb

"I was in Barnes and Noble..."

 

Paper, paper      every …where…

breathless forgottens

sallow shalls, nightless flights,

sunless empires;

glistenings shimmerings

plastique whimperings

shelved and floor-stacked

curled, curved, some-life tumbled

abandoned - pause-dropped

breath-stopped

each and all     just-so-many-bits-for

me’s.

 

All the Nooks and grannies,

footworn carpets for aisleworn lives

for life-torn eyes

...so many seemed paused…

lost-in-place

over so many thoughtlets bondings - blindings

books’ bindings …opened

pages - handled

turned

bindings closed - returned

dog-eared, wrinkled-crinkled

barely considered …thoughts,

saydream-mares

to shelves

to stacks

to piles of visceral images soon

then now …forgotten… once more.

 

Ghostlets

all faded realities

somehow still ...wandering, moving

existing within perceptions -

light      bent to curious shapes

ways, shadows, and forms -

thoughts ...flowing, floating

cascading, pulling, pooling

swirling-turning-joining - becoming

more

...and less.

 

People -

a visual visceral perceptual

that some might have had themselves

…once upon a time...

but the eyes were lost

searching. staring...

wondering, wandering.

 

A couple of children

sparkled

BREATHED

made ...noise -

were "...hushed..."

I cried inside ...silently.

 

Electronic registers track,

echo across the world

with each click

the thoughts being bagged

taken

...and lost.

 

Chris

Author's Note

There ARE NO type or word "Oh's" - I checked MORE than once. Sooooooo, what you see is what I intended.

feel free

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i hate the idea that books may become obsolete...and i miss how barnes and noble used to be...i think now they are too much of a corporation...i spend hours in a little used books store in carbondale...Bookworm...

such an atmosphere and all the old books on the shelves...

i refuse vehemently to read an E-book.

this poem moves this old book lover.

jacob

[Chris]

Glad you paused Jacob, thanks man

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

I think this is absolutely brilliant, penned by a sage, who is wise enough to pay attention beyond what normal eyes perceive. From the play on words (i.e., Nooks and grannies) to the sparking, breathing children being hushed, along with your ultimate sadness, this is just wonderful.

The ending - and what an ending it is! - is so poignant. Hopefully, the thoughts won't be lost, just carried onward in another form.

[Josie E. Cook M. A.]

Glimpses into scenes inside a store that attract many different personalities. The walls contain so much inside the space that they are drawn to the displays and the merchandise. POS in progress.

[Chris]

Sometimes the gestalt says it all - ya know?

[Josie E. Cook M. A.]

Truly~I know.

[Danielle]

Beautiful rendering of an everyday scene. You made it magnificent, alive! Love this! The way you use punctuation gives me a feeling of a spoken word poem, it's breathing and crawling on the page. WELL DONE!

[Colt 45 & 9/16]

Wow. Great scene you painted. I hope you dont mind I steal some of your style in my future writing atempts

[Chris]

it's not theft when it is your thoughts that paint the canvas. Be true to you is all I ask.

[Ed Hart]

well-spoken yourself, Chris; you painted a good one here...strong new words shoring up old barns, noble man

[sharonlee]

Like the leaves of autumn spring and summer... and even winter.... gathered and bound.... breathless piece Chris.

[J. J. Nightingale]

No one every said or shouted, QUIET
And I am grateful for that
I don't read much, obviously ..
But I study.. far into the night
I don't know if thoughts can be lost
or words
or heartbeats... or breaths
It's all out there, somewhere
Telling someone..somehow
That we, or they..were

Was there coffee..? .................... Jazz

[Chris]

Seems they all have coffee places inside the stores now Jazz.

[J. J. Nightingale]

True... They closed the Barns & Noble nearest here .. and a cute little BOOK NOOK .. I never bought much, but I liked being there, for some reason ... they had good coffee ! and I liked chatting about anything at all , with anyone at all... sigh ... I guess nothing is forever .. including us... Happy Holidays Chris .... ♥

[J. J. Nightingale]

"Barnes"......lol..............

[Chris]

All the best hon... take care.

[J. J. Nightingale]

Thank YOU ................................ ♥

[Baby Ricochet]

Well written Chris. I've read several books at Barnes and Noble that I never bought. Bought, read and returned too. Some I've kept. I think I got the place mixed up with the library

[Chris]

so do we all... is what makes it personal

[Ruth]

We leave little prints
wherever we go...
absorbing energy
of so many people
thoughts
moments
observations
fantasy
words... heard
unheard...
read or unread

"A couple of children
sparkled
BREATHED
made ...noise -
were "...hushed..."
I cried inside ...silently."

And the prints left
are real
and felt
and the soul
perhaps shivers
in the grasp
of life

Always a print
left
taken
somewhere
known or unknown

[Chris]

well spoken and felt

[olla]

treasures... scattered in the hush and dust of everyday hurries.. and digital maddness.. I had to remind myself that you were at Barns and Noble and not a library..