At My Library

by Lilianna Maxwell

I’m outside in the garden
Soaking up the sun
Lazily turning pages
Of a book I’ve just begun

I’m startled from the story
By my name called from inside
To help my cousin pick out books
I go in to be her guide

My cousin Ayla’s three
I find her by a shelf
With DVDs like Eloise
She’s picked out by herself

We turn to picture books
And I have to ask her
“What’s your favorite color today?”
“’Lelo!” (Yellow) is her answer

We pull down every yellow book
And toss them in a heap
Then sort them out so she can pick
Which three she wants to keep

When the books are put away
We open mom’s wallet to see
If we can scrounge eight shiny quarters
To buy our favorite tea

When we walk, our pockets jingle
Full of quarters that we got
I lift Ayla up to the machine
And she puts our coins into the slot

The machine gurgles and sputters
And pours our tea into a cup
We add a million packets of sugar
Plus some cream and stir it up


After we’ve slurped every drop
Of our tea, such sweet perfection
Ayla’s off to computer’s with my brother
And I stroll to the teen section

Ahh…so many books…
A hundred unlocked doorways
Welcome me to stay forever
Or at least many more days

Now I just have to decide
Between the fresh and glossy magazines
Bright, popping-with-color manga
And mysterious novels for teens

Well…I’ll save the magazines
For when I’m with my friends
When we’ll devour each page with giggles
Until our time here ends

I’ll save the novels for home
For a day that’s dull and rainy
When I can savor every word
Like bites of chocolate brownie

I sink into a lush, plush chair
To read a manga for a while
I’ve read this one a hundred times
And it never fails to make me smile

In the contented, silent company-
In this home that is exemplary
-Of good people and good characters
Here in my precious library