by Mary Adams, AWC The Hague
When the first books were banned,
they didn’t disappear.
The words flew up into the sky and
twirled and swirled in the wind.
They landed in lumps and bumps.
Suddenly…
the words began to whisper their stories.
Soon…
the wonder and wander came together and
the pages regenerated and integrated.
They built waterfalls of imaginative ideas.
They created family trees to nourish our roots.
They still roam the streets in caravans of wisdom
and rest inside the walls of buildings.
They snuggle with us in our beds and
kiss our children goodnight.
As more books are banned,
library shelves will shudder and moan
with the weight of challengers.
But wait…
the words will continue to rustle in the wind.
Soon…
They will gently fall with the rain
planting new seeds of thought and
hiding in plain sight.
The Education Team encourages you to learn about the history of banned, burned, and challenged books. Classic books that have been banned are available in COM Library. For additional books: Project Gutenberg Banned Books Bookshelf and Many Books: Banned Books.
Photo credit: Canva
