One Expensive Book Poem by Jim Yerman

It sits in a glass case in our bookstore…for all our customers to see…
It is old and It's expensive and must be handled sparingly.

I've often wondered about the route this book has taken…from the frontier days of yore…how it found it's way from where it was written to a glass case in our store.

Yesterday an older woman and her family stopped to take a look…
into the glass case…where it sat…that thousand dollar book.

"Today's my birthday! " The matriarch chuckled. "I'm one year closer now to death."
Her words were slightly slurred and I could smell the celebration on her breath.

"I'm 70 years old today." She continued. "With books I've always had a love connection.
""I've been accumulating them since I was a child…I have over 500 in my collection."

I picked up the most expensive book in the store thinking what a great way to celebrate…"Would you like to look at this one? " I asked…ignoring her somewhat inebriated state.

As I handed her the book, she smiled at me…and I'm not going to lie
tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes.

She looked at the book then back to me then held it lovingly to her chest.
What she was thinking at that moment I could have only guessed.

Suddenly she grimaced. She wasn't smiling anymore
She fell backward into her daughters arms and the book fell to the floor.

I immediately ran around the counter…afraid of what I'd see…
wondering, if that book was damaged, what my boss would do to me.

The book was fine…it wasn't damaged…perhaps a little stunned….
Then remembering the old lady I asked…should I dial 911?

At this point in the story you might be thinking my behavior was quite poor…
worrying more about one old book than one old lady on the floor…

You might be thinking what a cad…what a louse…how could I have been so cruel….
and I'd agree with you any other day…but today is April Fools!