When I was young,
if I had homework
that my mom couldn’t help with,
she’d tell me to call the library.
I had them on speed dial,
Lorraine and Shauna,
sometimes Jane.
Such comfort when they picked up the phone,
the steadiness of their voices,
the minutes on hold,
the satisfaction of finding out
when Michael Jackson was born
and could a cobra
eat you alive.
But I didn’t really get the system
so I’d also call
to see when the bus came next,
the phone number for the corner store,
and was Anne of Green Gables
going to play on TV
again this year.
What makes my heart ache
is thinking back
to how I bet they knew it was me
every time,
the little girl who called
with the strangest questions
and how they put on
their kindest selves
to greet me.