Miss Library

Just received the monthly newsletter from Room to Read (Founder: John Wood - the man who changed my life), and of course was inspired. The best part was this excerpt:

"As those of you who have traveled to Africa can attest, there is no way words can do justice to the impact this continent and its people have on one’s mind and spirit. On one hand, you bear witness to such grinding poverty and the impact malnourishment and HIV/AIDs is having on a population that is faced by so many challenges. Yet, on the other hand, you are greeted by smiles, dancing and music everywhere you go and by a power in the voices of the people that gives one hope the future will be different. We visited girls in Zambia that are supported by our Girls’ Education program and flourishing because of it. We also traveled to a community school that was one of the poorest communities I have ever been in; yet, the positive energy of the children was addictive. We experienced some of the most well-managed and utilized libraries in South Africa, including one which serves orphans and vulnerable children that have little else in their lives except for the teachers and schools that act as their safety net.

But, the story that I really want to share with you is a poem called "Miss Library" that's in our Story Time section (see box to your right) and one I think everyone on the trek would agree was the most memorable and inspiring. It belongs to a student called “Mr. Poet” whose own words prove our work, with your help, make our results possible and so tangible.
Here’s to empowering more student poets through the power of education!"


And the poem: Miss Library:
The following poem was written by “Mr. Poet,” a student and frequent visitor to a Room to Read library in East London South Africa.

Miss Library

Miss Library, you are the quiet lady full of respect and dignity.
You attend to people who take time to seek information and never get disappointed.

Your shelves are full of books filled with knowledge, inspirational information and amusement.
Through you I shared in the ideas of very important people like William Shakespeare and Gcina Mhlophe.
The dinosaurs became extinct before our time but you kept record of them and make them alive to us.
Anytime I visit you seeking knowledge, I depart more powerful which confirms the saying ‘knowledge is power.’
When I seek a good story, she leaves me inspired. Oh Miss Library you are one of a kind.
You are a mother of all nations.
You feed the nations with knowledge and wisdom.
Feed us."
WOW. Here's to my bookstore & library program...one day...
Visit http://www.roomtoread.org.