Wednesday, September 17, 2014

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.

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