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.
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
