Local Library

Disorganized books clutter themselves along the walls
And up and down shelves.
There should be DVDs,
But instead VHS and cassette tapes
Are in the far back corner.
The looked as if someone had ransacked their home
And left without finding anything.
Computers sit in the middle of the room
With screen protectors.
The children are playing games,
Teenagers are typing essays,
And the adults are looking through photographs.
Children who attend the nearby elementary school
Run around screaming,
Ignoring the continuous shushing from the librarians.
The have books in their hands
That have been worn down through the years of constant use.
One librarian is telling the teenagers to stop swearing
While a male librarian is helping the children
To check out their books.
The librarian with the royal blue hijab
Is walking around,
Helping a girl find books for her to read.
The security guard talks to a friend,
His voice like Mufasa’s.
One girl sits at a secluded table,
Her damaged notebooks sprawled out,
Her calculator forgotten,
A hole in the bottom of her backpack,
Her music blasting in her ears,
And her pencil tapping against the table.
Her favorite librarian –
The one with the royal blue hijab –
Comes over to give her books
About multiple different worlds.