I've never read a book two times.
It should be mentioned, till the end,
Because I read few twice,
But couldn't take to stand
Already-known pictured scenes
That for the first time were so mine:
In every word I found a piece
Of ‘who I am’, of ‘who am I?’.
But once is enough, for real.
Don’t have a wish to set ‘repeat’.
Oh, there’s a book, who am I deceiving?!
It makes this principle get out of me.
Its title could not be any simpler,
One letter ‘J’ is on the cover,
But what an influence it has on me!
It must be printed ‘der my cover.
Because there is no other explanation
Of why I read it all the time:
At night when ‘off’, at day when ‘on’
I'm chased by this J-sign.
I can’t return to my old books
And even fresh and nice aren’t tempting:
Their covers glimpse and smile and new,
But I don’t want to read-they’re empty.
Though ink they use is fine, indeed,
It tastes like bottled water - ordinary.
No one will ever print a sheet
Of my J's flavor, which is strawberry.
And maybe it is not a fatal doom,
But something like a blessing gift.
I won't erase that J-tattoo,
For it's become a part of me.