the card catalog

With only three days left at this job

I’ve been worried about the fate of

the last card catalog in the library,

the only remaining passenger pigeon,

the lone buffalo. Twice it’s been

condemned to the junk heap by

the ruling powers of the library.

And twice it’s been saved, once

by Claire, and most recently by me.

I’m utterly baffled why a library

wouldn’t want to keep such a part

of their past, but that seems to be

the approach of certain libraries.

I tried all over to find someone here

to care for it and fortunately,

at the last cliff-hanger minute

an office has been found for it!

This beautiful card catalog can

remain in the library where

for many years into the future

people will be glad it’s still here.

One of my first jobs when I started

at my college library in 1984 was

typing the cards and putting them in 

the catalog. Good memories of that.