The Paddock Review

Quiet at the Library

 

Soft sounds abound 

but for the encroachment of 

keys clicking a small distraction of reality.

Amid this low racket, she reads—slow—absorbing the 

shape of each word—carefully turning pages as if separating the

ink to claim her story. Casually she moves hair, tucking messy strands

behind perfect ears—and pushes glasses against the slope of her nose, killing me 

from a distance. Like Shakespeare, I wish to be a glove—that I might. She closes her eyes—seeing—what she reads. And me, knowing she’s here only for the books, 

I write her, wondering what journey she’s on and how I might, 

in this quiet, find her again tomorrow.

….

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR ABOUT THIS POEM: The Daviess County Library is my playground for the afternoon as I search for a quiet place to read, write, and generally waste time. I’m failing at the writing part and begin to look around and soon a story finds me, this time with red hair and what I imagine must be a long career as a librarian.

This poem is from the Seeing—In A Small Town by Pasquale Trozzolo (Finishing Line Press), and can be found at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/seeing-in-a-small-town-by-pasquale-trozzolo/

In A Small-Town takes us on a journey through #small-town #America. The #poetry chapbook is a collection of vignettes, each based on a different person or group of people that our visiting explorer encounters during their travels. Each vignette is a story the explorer imagines based on the person’s appearance, behavior, and interactions with others. Through these stories, the reader is given a glimpse into the lives of small-town Americans and the daily routines that make up their lives. The book explores judgment, assumptions, and the importance of seeing beyond the surface. The poems remind us that every person has a story and that we should be slow to judge and quick to listen. We never know what burdens someone carries or what joys they celebrate. Everyone is more than just their appearance; we should take the time to get to know them before forming opinions.