every book I have ever loved
has gone unread—or worse yet—
abandoned by Chapter Three because
I Just Couldn't Get Into It
yet every book
a man
has ever recommended to me,
lent me,
or even mentioned in passing
has required my annotation.
a book group get-together,
a one-sided discussion—
not a lecture, mind you,
he is Different Than Most Men—
where he is leading questions in a forum
to make sure I Really Got It,
to make sure I Understood the Meaning & Motif.
I have been reading so much
my annotated cumulative bibliography
is in pristine MLA format
& my footnotes have footnotes
which, in turn, have end notes.
I have come to hate reading Serious Books™
because like the books themselves,
I am merely there to witness
Men Doing (Writing) Things.
I am not even meant to be a Book Reviewer—
reviewers, after all, are entitled to an opinion—
I am merely transcribing annotations,
neutral summaries of books
which were never really meant for me.
Allie Marini is a cross-genre writer holding degrees from both Antioch University of Los Angeles & New College of Florida. She has published a number of chapbooks, including Pictures from the Center of The Universe (Paper Nautilus, winner of the Vella Prize) and Southern Cryptozoology: A Field Guide to Beasts of the Southern Wild (Hyacinth Girl Press, finalist for the SFPA’s Elgin Award) In addition to her work on the page, Allie was a member of Oakland’s 2017 National Slam Team. A native Floridian now freezing to death in the Bay Area, Allie writes poetry, fiction, and essays. Find her online: www.alliemarini.com.
