Lawrence Hall
Mhall46184@aol.com
https://hellopoetry.com/lawrence-hall/
poeticdrivel.blogspot.com

                                  Boo­ks are Secret Places

Books are secret places where words go to hide
When the world goes wrong, and children are hurt
By grownups who never learned how to read or love
Or even tell funny stories around the campfire

Books are secret places where stories go to hide
When there’s shooting and looting, and children are hurt
By grownups who never think of anything beyond
What their clever leaders tell them to do

Books are secret places where poems go to hide
When museums are looted, and children are hurt
By grownups who can see only ideologies
And never the good, the true, the beautiful

Books are sacred vessels: read them, love them -
They hold our civilization in trust