I've missed a couple of weeks of Poetry Friday. I was very busy and then I was very sick.
Well, okay, not very sick, as in seriously sick, just sick in that sort of, "I have the stomach flu and it feels like I'm seriously sick but I'm not and I know this will pass eventually," way. And then, after three or four days, it did.
After the first, worst day, I was able to read and I was grateful, as I always am, for the library. I read Severance by Ling Ma and Someone by Alice McDermott and I read Betsy-Tacy at night because it's good medicine. (That one, of course, was not a library book. That one is part of the foundation of our home.) I also tried to listen to an audiobook for my book club but I kept falling asleep during that one — it's a book I loved many years ago but on this go-round, I kept tiring of the author's pretensions.
I didn't haul my sick self to the library, by the way, lest you think I was being careless or stupid. I had several library books around here and Atticus brought home the McDermott book, read it, liked it immensely, and then told me he thought I would like it too. He was right, as he usually is about books I like, love, hate, and treasure.
At any rate, I thought it was time for some library love, so here, once again, is "Don't Go Into the Library" by Alberto Ríos. A gem.
Don’t Go Into the Library
by Alberto Ríos
The library is dangerous—
Don’t go in. If you do
You know what will happen.
It’s like a pet store or a bakery—
Every single time you’ll come out of there
Holding something in your arms.
~~~~~~~~~~
Laura Purdie Salas has the Poetry Friday round-up this week. Enjoy! And do go into the library!
(Photo courtesy of Oliver Götting/Pixabay.)
10 comments:
Karen, I had not read that poem before, but I love it! It makes me want to not only go to the library, but the bakery and the pet store. :)
Deliciousness! Hope you're feeling better, Karen. Can we just make sure this poem is read to children??
Oh, I LOVE this poem! I haven't seen it before, so I'm glad you shared it again--thank you. Hope you're feeling better :>)
Glad you're feeling better! Stomach flu is grim.
I don't know where I'd be without the library!!! I've always got ~100 hold requests pending, and have at least that many checked out, any given week. I just never know what I will like until I can hold it in my hands. Grateful to my (able-bodied unlike myself) son for making the weekly treks to swap out the tote bags’ of returns and requests!
xox
Hooray for healing! And, thank you for this gem of a poem. I really enjoyed it!
Sorry to hear you've been feeling icky. Books are a great comfort at such times, and I'm glad you fell into them. The library poem is wonderful and new to me. Thanks!!!
"You may not come out
The same person who went in."
Wonderful closing lines-such a grand adventure his poem takes us on.
Happy you're feeling better, thanks!
Karen, I have always felt the allure of libraries. I agree with the author. Books bring me to a new level of happiness. You stopped the poem and it became a teaser. I wanted to hear more and the ending brought me back to childhood, being with my Nonnie who walked me to the library multiple times during the summer even though she could not read or write in English. She knew the worth of a book as I do now. Thanks for the the thoughts and the poem.
I hope you are feeling much better, and so sorry to hear you've missed 2 weeks of Poetry Friday - I think I must have missed two years now (and counting) of Poetry Friday. Huhu. I lovelovelove Alberto Rios! This is a new one from him that I am glad to know through your post.
Thanks, everyone, for sharing the library love, which I love to share. :D
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