Peel it off the wall
Observe the dust gatherered for years
Naked, flying for cover in wispy balls
While the rest stay layered defiant
Do what you will This is what i am
Peel the backing off the bookcase
Push one end towards the other.
Bereft of support
The squares become diamonds
Keep pushing till you hear the cracks
Don't wonder at the hours a crafstman
Or man behind a machine took
To build this case
The filing and polishing of wood
to bear the weight
of books files towels albums keepsakes
backdrop for impromptu recitals, rehearsals, songs, debates
The bookcase lies on its side,
A giant felled, its panels loose
Take one panel, press your foot to centre and pull up one end
Watch it splinter so the 6ft tall panels becomes shorter than the waist
Repeat for all panels
Fling them in the dump
Sweep up the sawdust the pieces
Toss them in the bin too
The wall stares at you, bare
except for the silhouette of the bookcase
still there
How we reduce things
Not that different the taking down
By force of muscle,
Or the boneless tongue
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