In case you didn’t see it on Western Isles Libraries Facebook page – heres’ a new poem made in response to invitation from Kathleen Milne, team leader Western isles Libraries

Baltic traders in Stornoway

Bookmarks

Dinny Smith comes home

Among the Bushrangers


The Gorilla Hunters

Two Years before the Mast


The Coral Sea


The Sea of Adventure

Kidnapped

Northern Diver

From Russia with Love

And then there was John Sandwick

who steered you to the Baltic

(the books department, not the shoes).


You browsed, he smiled.

You’d read everything in the house


but you’d reached the age for tickets.


You read the books at the shelves

till they said you could take them home.

The lady librarian explained spines,

how they could snap

if you folded and squeezed down,

how dog-ears spoiled it for everyone,

how bookmarks were best.

For more information about Ian visit his website at www.ianstephen.co.uk

© Ian Stephen, 2012