For Dee
The empty bookstore still
smells of dust, frail paper,
and stubborn ink. But,
Ancient Men of the Arctic
no longer subsist on aisle three
Where Bright Waters Meet
and A River Never Sleeps.
With the bookstore closed
who will guide our children
through A Series of Unfortunate Events
introduce them to White Fang,
The Little Princess, or recommend
Are You There God?
It’s Me, Margaret.
Where can I go when the streets are wet
to find Billy Collins joking
with Mary Oliver and Sandburg, recline
against a dusty bookshelf
holding Hemingway
or Forester if there’s a storm?
Dan Branch lives and writes in Juneau. He is a member of the Burn Thompson writers’ group and 49 Writers.
