Library

 Library

By: Saranya Wallooppillai

 

I run my hands over the rows

Of bamboo backbones

Nails catching on knobbed vertebrae

Collecting dust, and flakes of

Cherry charcoal skin

Until I find what I am looking for

 

Golden letters return my stare

With dull eyes -- recollecting

Iron letters, turning wheels,

And the smell of hot ink

 

My hands caress the calloused

Leather which shields the

Parchment soldiers standing at ease,

Soft and fragile

Scarred by the battles

Of sharp corners, and eager fingertips

 

Reviews

[Green]

As a lover of libraries of all forms, I particularly enjoyed reading this. You created the image of walking through one so clearly, that I almost felt as if I was in some of my favorite libraries. Well done.