The Library
I pass between lions
guarding what's inside:
bound gems to open,
endless words that sparkle.
I read till my eyes grow
leaden with sleep.
In my village,
Grandpa's well-used Bible
was the only book I knew.
I reread the stories,
could recite each one
like the poems I learned.
Copyright Credit: Monica Gunning, "The Library" from America, My New Home. Copyright © 2004 by Monica Gunning. Reprinted by permission of Wordsong Press, a division of Astra Publishing House.
Source: America, My New Home (Wordsong Press, 2004)