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The 6th October is National Poetry Day and as Morrab Library has a close affinity to poetry we felt we should celebrate this with a special blog from one of our library members…
You cannot be a member of the library for very long before you notice a whole room dedicated to poetry, an extensive (and growing!) collection of poetry itself alongside biographies of poets. Furthermore there are many poets among the members and every fortnight a poetry reading group meets in Gods’ room.
Here are two poems which celebrate libraries…
My First Memory (of Librarians)
Nikki Giovanni, 1943 –
This is my first memory:
A big room with heavy wooden tables that sat on a creaky wood floor A line of green shades—bankers’ lights—down the center Heavy oak chairs that were too low or maybe I was simply too short For me to sit in and read So my first book was always big In the foyer up four steps a semi-circle desk presided To the left side the card catalogue On the right newspapers draped over what looked like a quilt rack Magazines face out from the wall The welcoming smile of my librarian The anticipation in my heart All those books—another world—just waiting At my fingertips.
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And here are two modest haiku about our own library from the author of this blog:
Sixty thousand books
Rooms of calm
surrounded by Palms, magnolias
In twenty eighteen
He opened the Morrab door
To heaven on earth