Shelved

I've been shelved... put away... Maybe I feel "shelved" instead of plain rejected because I'm a consistant reader, or maybe because...because it just fits.

In some small podunk town, in the town center, there's a flea market. In that flea market a vendor sells his old and used books-50 cents a peice...In the bottom of the pile, there's a new, yet torn and tattered book...Not much to look at, but maybe its got a good story. Its dug out and dusted off...There's just something intriguing about it, something exciting. The 50 cents was paid for and the book, again, was bought. The book was torn and bent and worn, taped and illegibal and dirty-an abused book. But the hands that now carried the book were different. They didnt see the grime or rips-they saw the beautiful cover beneath it all. They held on tightly, but gently-they held the book close to their heart. The book was opened-it had a slow beginning...it was confusing at parts, hard to follow, hard to understand. But the book was not put down. It was exciting and the pages turned rapidly, and the book was happy. No longer was it left alone or lost-the book felt love and healing in its tears. But one day, the book wasnt opened...nor the next day, nor the day after that...it remained shut for what seemed like ages. This abandonment tore and bent the book and left it tattered. And then something amazing happened-the book was opened and read, but only for a short time, and then it was closed again. The gentle hands soon became rough and careless. This continued for 4 months...until one day-the book had become a bore, no longer did it posses the excitement and freedom it once had. It was placed on an empty bookshelf, where it creates dust. It was left more tattered and broken than it had been. The book was destroyed. It now sits on that shelf, alone, and it never felt the gentle touch of the hands again-it was Shelved, only to be glanced but just as before, the book was never read until the end...Its just a dust collector.

I am that book; discarded and bent...I am Shelved...