I look at my shelves, and what has been there for a time; and I have not read this book or that journal. Then I wonder why – what was happening then? And I remember, and maybe had read a poem or two, or a page or two, and was helped and blessed.
late Fall
and Winter soon
plans for silence
and time to read
poetry
Reprinted December 1, 2021
reading a new book
the fragrance
of fresh paper
garden perennials
grow and rest
return again
autumn here
spring always
in my heart
grateful to many artists
good to create
when we can
sometimes more
sometimes less
every year different
sometimes when I pray
before a meal, I remember
my grandmother’s prayers
in Swedish, and her voice
used books new for me
light on old and new leaves
of a house plant
older now
used books settle
in their new home
by Ellen Grace Olinger
All the Way Home: Aging in Haiku (2019)
Edited by Robert Epstein
Middle Island Press, West Union, WV
Poems For Books 