“Books were safer than other people anyway.”  – Neil Gaiman

I was often bullied for this but

I liked stories and sad music

And maybe I was bullied

for being weird

More than my tastes in literature

But at least with a book

If it made fun of me

I could put it down

And walk away.

Putting down a bully

Was heavily discouraged

And thus impossible to walk away from.

At least with a book I could travel

And visit far off lands and times

With people I’m stuck here

As me

In this time alone sometimes.

At least with a book comes a warning

Foreshadowing this dog may die

The pain hurts just as much

But I was expecting it

So it’s half over

When it starts

But people

People are so

Complicated and

They don’t telegraph it

When it’s almost over for them

Books were safer than other people

Anyway, that’s how it feels.