The Sunday Poem: Pressed by Blake Morrison

The books that took me from home
are carrying me back –
back to my Arctic bedroom
and the shelves where they were stacked.

I’m pressed inside them like a flower
or an earwig that got trapped.
My sister’s crying next door.
The dog’s mewing like a cat.

The spines are unbroken
and the covers free of dust.
I’m stuck there like a specimen.
It’s not yet me. It’s not yet us.

Blake Morrison is a memoirist, poet and critic. His new collection, Afterburn, will be published on 29 January by Chatto & Windus. Order a copy at observershop.co.uk for £11.69. Delivery charges may apply.

Illustration by Chris Riddell