The Libraries of my Youth

While other little boys daydreamed of pirates and space ships

I was at the library to look up words like ‘thrips.’

There was no internet back when the president was Ike --

If I needed info, to the books I’d have to hike.

But it was not a chore to me -- more like vacation time,

Sampling some H.G. Wells or Ogden Nash’s rhyme.

I’ve never lost my taste for books, although as a curator

I’d certainly be classified as just a second-rater.

I’ve got ‘em scattered o’er the floor and on the window sill;

They’re underneath the bed (and I have found one on the grill!)

As the years crowd round me, I take joy in any tome

That lets my body stay at rest yet gives my mind a roam.

If transmigration of the soul were not too much sectarian,

I’d love to come back as a full-time practicing librarian.