"Palos Verdes Library"
a poem by G.E. Nordell
in days of yore
when the world was dark and cold
beyond the campfire ring
men saw visions in the flames,
the future in their dreams
and shivered in their bones
weapons then were made of flint
or thrown by strength of sinewed arm
food was gathered from the earth,
picked from woody bough,
and tracked across wet, silent grass
'neath canopies of green
fire gave men sight
beyond the setting sun
and inside smokey cave
and Art arose –
wet pigment on cold stone –
to signify Man's heart
these days the arts
take electronic shapes
and men no longer see each other face-to-face
and hallowed books await soft touch
in dust-encovered grace
we need our caves
to hold the fading light,
to keep our visions safe:
these precious stacks
we pass along
to keep away the Dark
© Gary Edward Nordell 1995, all rights reserved
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