The last librarian

Memory-
Keystone of civilisation,
Of all progress-
Is underwritten by paper

Amnesia
Lives in the continual present,
Errors repeating endlessly

Hypatia,
Knowing this,
Collected scrolls
In numbered halls

Theophilus
Hearing the word of God
Wished to burn all others

Alexandria
Glowered
Under flaming skies

Hypatia weeps
Her loss,
Oblivion's gain

Ars poetica (occasional flashes of lucidity)

I wake with a mind filled
With fugitive thoughts,
Quicksilver threads, like
Splinters of mirror-glass

I grope for things just out of reach-
At last, a phrase is caught
I explore its form
Learn its texture, shape and weight

I search out the proper frame
To put it on display
Select the words so the sense
Is echoed by their sound

Guiding the reader along
Through meanders, rapids, falls,
Ending in a still pool
Of quiet reflections


Part of the 6th poetry carnival hosted by Legwarmers.