The Book by Claudia

The Book
Go and open the book.
Maybe inside there's a man slinking a golden ticket into a chocolate bar wrapper
or a giant poking his hand into an orphanage window,
a girl trapped in a castle traipsing her hair over the sill longing for escape,
or an orange sequinned dress sitting on a boy's shoulders.

Go and open the book.
Maybe a glass slipper is balancing on the step,
Maybe you'll see a young swan being teased by ducks
or a steaming bowl of porridge cooling off in a cottage
or the red cloak of a young girl.

Go and open the book.
If there's a pig, he will be collecting bricks.
Go and open the book.
Even if there's only a title,
even if there's only a page,
even if nothing is there, go and open the book.
At least there'll be something to remember.