Blessed One-ness,
We forget a lot—
Data and addresses,
Old loves and enemies,
Where we put the keys
And where we put the freedoms.
But there are the people who remember
Or who remember where to look when it’s time to remember—
Librarians
Archivists
Collectors
Even hoarders
Cataloguing the past,
Keeping knowledge safe,
Sometimes at great risk
Because the first thing dictators do
Is ban books, history, music, science, art and journalism.
But libraries keep our stuff safe
Until it’s time to emerge.
The monks of the Middle Ages
The archivists of the Warsaw Ghetto
The librarians of MAGA America
Are heroes
And we give thanks.
May they have all the courage they need.
Amen
