They have to ask where you are.
Upstairs, they will be told.
Downstairs, they will be told.
Turn left at the four sections of Travel Writing,
past the Manga, beyond Smart Thinking
and it should be on a shelf
between Diet & Fitness and European History.
The lightbulb above you doesn’t work.
There’s a screw missing in your wood.
The books on your back are more dust than paper.
Two people are stood in front of you
queuing to use the shop’s toilet.
You say nothing. You feel the thoughts
inside of you, the worlds, the colour, the heart.
You laugh. You worry. You hug yourself.
You thank the gods you are not short stories.

© Carl Burkitt 2023