Spare a thought for them:
the books that have to follow on
the heels of an all-time favourite,
for they are doomed to disappoint
through no fault of their own,
they cannot cure the hangover,
only add to the thirst,
and yet I hope they will somehow
recreate that same depth of feeling,
stir me the same way their predecessor did,
but they cannot and they will not,
and I can’t help but hold it against them.
