My Local

"Matilda" by Quentin Blake

There is a picture of baby me

Somewhere in a dusty album

Perusing books off the bookshelf

As if I understood the meaning

Of the swirls on the page

I have been a member
Of my local library
Since forever
We visited almost every week
A giant pile of books each
Growing up I read a book a day
It was marvelous preparation
For a degree in English
Though the books at uni
Were denser
And required more analysis
Than the books
I had grown up with

My memberships are a testament
To my moving record
Not counting
Automatic membership
For the four schools

And two universities

I attended
I have been a member of over 15 libraries
On three different continents
In my twenty-eight years

I love to read
I love the quiet of the library
I love the shelves and shelves of books
The order of them
The insurmountable amount of
Knowledge
Contained therein

I feel at home
When I've joined the local library
It's as important as packing tape
And boxes
To have that library card in my wallet
Access to books
And a quiet place
For exploring
The world

The end.