Bad Word Day

          Sometimes the words just lose their delight
          in the sweltering day-to-day.
          Even the ones on these dog-eared pages
          that seduced me many times before
          can fail, unable to stir the awe
          that painted my earlier smiles.
          I cannot blame these words -
          they haven't changed,
          and a little bit of yellowing
          in the background shouldn't matter -
          and I cannot blame the ink,
          or the type of binding,
          or even the choice of cover
          that I sadly nestle on my thighs.
          I wanted these words to overpower a day
          of turned ankles and slow traffic
          and send me charging
          into the wonder of tomorrow,
          but they only hover on the page:
          faded kites riding a sluggish breeze
          in a cloudy sky. My cat saunters over
          from the far end of the sofa,
          sniffs at the page
          and sneezes.

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