My Hometown Library
Before
I had to study
Before
I had to work
Before
I had to mature
I remember
calm lions staring.
I remember
a dome reaching for the sky.
I remember
pillars thick as tree trunks.
I remember
books stretching on forever.
I remember
this place
Beckoning
Luring
Enchanting
From
Sunrise
To
Sunset
During
Frost and chill
Rain and bloom
Sun and heat
Wind and leaves.
I remember
The lights arranged
The book selected
The bench hosting
father and son
experiencing
knights clashing blades
ships parting waters
wizards casting spells
spacecraft finding life
friendships strengthened
foes vanquished.
language assembling
technology developing
culture forming
religion spreading
civilization risen
civilization burned.
20 years later
The silent carnivores
The sky-spearing dome
The thick, stocky pillars
The endless tomes
Still
Beckon
Still
Lure
Still
Enchant
From
Dawn
To
Dusk
Through
Ice and snow crunching beneath my feet
Flora and fauna blooming in the fields
Warmth and sand spreading between my toes
Red and orange crinkling in the breeze.
I will not forget
The drafts constructed
The table arrayed
The writers presenting
Essays
Epics
Fables
Memoirs
Novels
Op-Eds
Poems
Songs.
I will not forget
the structure
that stays
the same.
I will not forget
the building
that inspired me
to read
and
to write.
I will not forget
my
hometown
library.