The Library Ticket

This orange passport
Like an envelope, well-addressed
Slotted into her life
Pages fell open

The central spine
Was fraying, tearing
Like an offspring pulling away
Adolescence

A ticket to her own mind
Its secrets locked like a story
Until escape
At the final chapter

The loss of any library is awful.  I don’t know what to say at the proposed
government closure of 250 libraries.  It would be devastating.

I went to a poetry writing workshop many years ago and the poem above in
remembrance of my first library which I joined 44 years ago as an 11 year old.
Books have always been my escape.  Today, libraries offer so much more and that
is fantastic for all users.