Ode to the Librarian
By Mary R. Davidsaver
The forecast calls for a fine hot Iowa day.
Dog walkers pass by on their early rounds.
A dragonfly hovers over my garden.
Gold finches dart between host and nectar
plants.
I savor a light caress of coolness,
Before the heaviness of corn sweat descends.
One Monarch touches down on a milkweed leaf.
Then quickly launches itself at another.
I left those “weeds” to stand tall and straight
this year.
If prairie winds knock a few down,
I save the leaves to feed caterpillars.
Not so many this season.
Few found my urban spot.
A small space devoted to Monarchs.
My contribution to raising migration numbers.
This morning I released six new butterflies.
A milestone for this meager year.
I share that on this day of remembrance.
The day we gather to celebrate a life of
service.
Honoring a librarian to generations of children.
Who nurtured their curiosity with books.
Gave them a peek into the author’s craft.
Sent them out into a world not of their own
making.
They have the chance to challenge, to create, to
change.
Six Monarchs flying into the unknown.
Each having the chance to make a difference.
I knew little of the librarian’s life.
Only enough to know she would be pleased.
She always had a ready smile and a kind thought.