Have You Ever Smelled a Library Book?

By Joel Seppala

Have you ever smelled a library book
One straight from the shelf?
With wrinkled corners
And a tired spine
Like an athlete past his prime

Have you looked inside the cover?
Is there a sleeve for a fitted card?
Are there stamps with dates reminding you
Of trips to the bookmobile
In second grade?

The smell to me is most unique
"Old Book"
Here, Calvin Klein
That must from hibernation
On a scaffold marked A-C

When you pick it up
And open the pages
The words still resonate
To tell the story
They know best

Inside those dog-eared
Corners and stamps from '93
Is a checkout roadtrip
That's all too short