Should you find yourself weary of the real world

                      let me get lost here

in the air there's a
sense of community
 belonging for those who
don't know where else to
belong

let me step slowly through
quiet aisles
let me run my fingers along
the many spines of knowledge
  of adventure
     of emotion
        of escape

in words we find a
common bond that goes
 mostly unspoken but is
still sometimes whispered
behind hands and pages

let me breathe in this scent
 of ink old and new and the
soft sounds of paper bindings
resting in hands and fingertips
tracing lines
 tracing the hero's journey
   or years of research or
the feelings of someone long gone

whether we come seeking facts
 seeking truth or seeking freedom
we all gather here and there's
a sort of sanctity thought the
walls bear no special paint nor
the windows any specific colors

let step quietly among the legacies
and loves gone by and let me do so
in solitude but let me still recognize
    a kindred spirit in the heart of
        every other person i pass

it is our temple and our refuge
 but we can sit wherever we want
be it curled up in a corner or
tucked into a chair or still yet
at a desk by the window

let every book speak to me
each whisper drifting up between
tall shelves as an offering to
  the warmth and comfort and
protection that these shelves
  provide and the wonder and wisdom
        that they hold within
          waiting to bestow

and as time passes and the world
evolves still we will return
to keep this place alive
we the learners and the guardians
of these most unrecognized but
most precious and valuable treasures





let the longing for the touch
of the pages of a book never
go unsatisfied and let all
seekers find here their peace
and their contentment and

let me never forget that there
    is always safe harbor here
  from the pain and woes and
      the unbearable noise of the
           outside world

let me find peace here and
  even if just for a while
     among these towering shelves
         and welcoming pages
                               
            let me get lost