“A Poem About Books” by Teresa Grote

There are books on the shelf and books on the floor,
Leaking castles and sword fights all over the room.
Arthur and Merlin do great deeds and go questing,
Abraham Lincoln sits in the White House
And Mother Goose makes strange rhymes with other kind creatures.
There are books in the hallway and books on the stairs,
Laughing and shouting, competing for words.
The Cat in the Hat makes a mess and cleans up,
While Elves, Dwarves, and Dragons squabble together,
And great Queen Elizabeth loses her temper.
There are books in the kitchen and books on the couch,
There’s a book in the freezer, unsure how it got there.
The kitchen is too full of Julia Child and light French soufflés,
The Creatures of Redwall and big cheddar cheese wheels,
While Sherlock Holmes reclines on the couch and Penguins relax in my freezer.
There are books on the coffee table and books on the chair,
Shouting and telling me how I should do things.
One gleefully tells me my cooking’s misguided,
Another one cries at the way I speak English
And another counsels me when the plumbing goes wrong.
There are books in the closet and under the bed,
Letting loose the whole of their knowledge.
Encyclopedic zebras graze free without trouble,
All models of airplanes fly round the light fixtures,
And a Quaker meeting is held in my slippers.
There are books on the table and books in the way,
I’ve nowhere to sit since they’ve settled there.
Romeo’s still bleating his love to Juliet,
As an Emperor called Hadrian builds a great wall,
And Hamlet’s still mad for all ages.
There are too many books all over my house.
I’ve run out of room for Hansel and Gretel,
And poor Mr. Baggins is uncomfortably cramped.
The house is too full with the world from my books,
But I’ve just bought a new bookshelf for some newly bought books.