November Poems 06

Desperate Uncovered

she sleeps
beneath gaily printed sheets;
dormant until interest
pulls them apart
with the caress of a lover
or the violence
of a serial killer

Of her thousand selves
only a precious few
will be asked to tell her tale
and be admired
or emulated
or plagiarised

While the rest
have their covers torn away
and she is pulped,
returned, recycled
or put on two-for-one sales
and internet bargains
in the forlorn hope
she will wake once more
from cover sheets
and slipcases.