I’m reading a book
because I like reading books
and in this book
I am reading about a man
who is reading a book
because he likes reading books
and I’m struggling to find any flaws in him
and I cannot work out the struggle he has
to overcome and he doesn’t seem to care
that he eats too many crisps
and how his hair doesn’t sit the way it should
or the fact his shoelaces have broken
because he can always order new ones
and I’m now on page 36 and he hasn’t
blamed the death of a stranger
on the fact he got on the wrong bus that time.

© Carl Burkitt 2023