The Library Poem by Vincenzo Manuel

The carpet in the library is miserably old.
Vertical stripes of light blue
Intertwine with what once was gold.
Patches of fatigue green complement
Liver spots of purple and brown
2x2 squares disorient
I’m sure the carpet gets vacuumed,
But just like one rain doesn’t clean a city street,
Cleaning a lifetime of dust and dirt,
Is not an easy feat.

I look down and
See birds in the floor
Cardinals and robins
Their songs are the quiet hums of copiers, computers, and snores.