Poem for Display in a Public Library

This entry is part 5 of 14 in the series Public Poems

 

To enter fully into another’s words
is to leave your own fixed residence,
part coffin, part cocoon.
The walls fall away.
Letters the color of night
swell with sirens & the call
of the whip-poor-will.
Out in the open book,
anything can happen except sleep.
Dreams may be redeemed
for a small deposit.
This is why, in the public library,
everyone is homeless.

Series Navigation← Poem for Display in a Veterans’ Memorial ParkPoem for Display in a Hospital Waiting Room →

9 Replies to “Poem for Display in a Public Library”

  1. Terrific series, Dave. I hope you’ll print them out on small piece of paper and put them up anonymously, your next visit to a public place…or encourage us to do it.

  2. dale – Be my guest!

    lissa – Thanks… and thanks for visiting. I enjoyed checking out your blog just now.

    beth – For me, it’s enough just to have thought about it, but if someone wants to try and actually sneak these into public places, I’d be honored. (Take pictures!)

  3. How did I miss this wonderful poem when it was posted?
    I hope you will do a book of poems about books, reading, and libraries of course….
    Looking forward to getting my copy of Odes To Tools….
    Thank you for all you do!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.