by Mary Janicke
a great tsunami washed ashore
destroying all in its path
books tossed off library shelves
young people left to drown
in a sea of bigotry
then the storm abated
the tide receded
the public surveyed the damage
and saw the harm done to the community
by the bigots and blowhards
and voted the transgressors off the island
civility returned
respect for one another returned
and most importantly
books were returned to library shelves
so that knowledge
could again be shared
Mary Janicke is a gardener, poet, and writer living in Texas. Her work has appeared in numerous journals.
Editor’s note: The tide turned in Texas, but the wave of book bannings continues elsewhere. Sign EveryLibrary’s petition against book bans here: https://action.everylibrary.org/bannedbooks?utm_campaign=govdislikes_1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=votelibraries
