On Libraries

Back in March 2023, I received a commission to write a poem, based on libraries. The folks at Inspire Culture, Learning, Libraries had launched a twinning project between their library at Beeston in Nottinghamshire, and the library at Gütersloh in Germany. 

As part of the project, there was a day of celebrations at both libraries, and our lovely poetry collective, Paper Crane Poets, were invited to perform.

Whenever I have a commission to write, I always try to find a strange or unusual way to tackle the topic. This time, I got a little romantic. When the phrase "two libraries fall in love" came to mind, I knew I'd found a way to start writing the poem. This is what came out. Let me know what you think!

Wenn sich zwei Bibliotheken verlieben

Conducted over correspondence, 

any building can become infatuated with another. 

Our libraries are like two tender halves, 

their brickwork synchronising with their beating hearts. 

This courtship starts with chaste book swaps, 

well-placed love notes scrawled in dust jackets. 

Shelving brackets sighing like love-sick teens,

our catalogues pristine and our expertly stocked stacks 

crowded with magazines, periodicals, and almanacs. 

Libraries don’t get jealous, which is just as well, 

because stories are promiscuous things –

and stories and libraries and poems have wings.  

But once coupled-up libraries stay bound, like books. 

Every nook brimming with accessible potential. 

These libraries are soulmates, never passing their due dates. 

This love translates both ways, every moment of every day. 

And when surrounded by the ephemeral sustenance of words, 

the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred. 

What does it take for two libraries to fall in love?

A confluence of service with purpose,

and a penchant for words. A knowledge that 

libraries are more than building and books,

though good looks and cosy spaces help sell

these shelf-selves that still captivate us. Where a 

smile and a library card, grant you access to the club:

Wenn sich zwei Bibliotheken verlieben;

when two libraries fall in love. 

Photo via Unsplash.com