What I love about Poetry Friday is that bloggers from all over the world share their favourite poems and poets each week. What I am challenged about each Poetry Friday is the temptation to buy more poetry books, as my fellow Poetry Friday-ers give tantalising glimpses into collections, anthologies and verse novels that I haven’t yet read. And of course, I can rarely make it through a Poetry Friday without buying a new book or at the very least adding several to my wish list.
Of course, it’s a nice problem to have, but my house is already overflowing with books, so each new book adds to the unending problem of where to shelve them and how to keep track of them. But this week that problem lead to something else: a new poem about, of course, books.
Too Many Books
by Sally Murphy
“Too many books?
Too Many books?
One can never have too many books,” she said
And just to be sure
She added one more
To the teetering pile by her bed.
“Too many books?
Too Many books?
One can never have too many books!” she cried
As she purchased ten more
From her favourite store
Staggering home with bookwormish pride.
“Too many books?
Too Many books?
One can never have too many books,” she stated
Cramming case after case
Filling every space
With books that she shelved, stacked and crated.
“Too many books?
Too Many books?
One can never have too many books!” she boomed
Till her house overflowed
And she finally knowed
That her book collection days were
.
.
.
.
.
On hold till she purchased a bigger house.
(And her rhyme pattern was doomed).
Poem copyright Sally Murphy, 2018
Have a great Poetry Friday. Today’s roundup (where you can find plenty of poetry goodness) is hosted by Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe. I’m off to see what my poetry friends have been up to and buy more books.
I LOVE this poem. It so accurately reflects my life with dozens of books stacked up everywhere in my house. It drives my husband crazy!
Perfect poem, and all about my life. I am reaching the point where I really do have too many books. Even the fact that I now download a significant percentage of my reading digitally doesn’t change that. I keep acquiring more, though…
Ha, fun poem and completely relatable!
What a fun poem–and one we can all relate to! Your ending is perfect! I wrote an “Epitaph for a Reader” for one of the TLD challenges, imagining a reader meeting her untimely end under a cascade of books! The danger is real!
Yes, I share this dilemma, too – but, as troubles go, it’s a good one to have.
Definitely a first world problem!
Hilarious hit on a nerve we all share! My favorite thing about this is that it is reads like those precarious stacks we have in every room. I have finally decided that it’s possible to have TMB in a classroom, but at home….well, I’m not ready to consider that yet!
All those different words for “said”–that’s a fun prompt waiting to be unleashed, no?
Thanks Heidi. Yes, I didn’t set out to give myself the extra challenge of synonyms for said – but of course, I either had to come up with lots of rhyming words for said, or change the word. I’m glad I tried the latter because it lead to the punch line.
I’m with you, Sallly! “One can never have too many books!” We are renovating our house and a new wall of book shelves is part of the plan, so I’m trying to restrain myself from buying new books until my new shelves are complete. Sadly, I’m severely lacking in self-control! Thank you for sharing your clever poem!
Self control? What’s that? 🙂
Thanks for dropping by, Catherine.
That’s why I like being a public librarian–I get to buy books with other peoples’ money!
Enjoy all your problems, Sally!
Dream job Diane!
Sally, I loved reading your poem and seeing the photo of your library shelves. My husband keeps saying, “When are you going to organize your books?’ They seem to be everywhere but now I am going to share with him that there are others who are like me, “book lovers”. Your ending made quite an impact on me. Having fun with poetry is a good thing.
Thanks Carol. Yes, the ending kind of snuck up on me. I knew I wanted it to end with the bigger house, but just couldn’t work out how to fit that in to the rhyme and syllable scheme – and then, of course, realised that it shouldn’t fit, because that was the whole point of the poem.
Hilarious and so true! I have a whole new stack from the exhibit hall at ALA.
Sounds perfect, Margaret. Enjoy!
Your rhyme scheme overflowed like a bookcase after a sale, Sally!
Have you ever seen Lark Rise to Candleford? A main character is fond of saying that many things are “her one weakness.” I’m afraid book buying is mine (and chocolate) (and tea) (and…)
Bwahahaha. ‘Her one weakness’. I can so relate to that. I have many ones.
I’m another kindred spirit. Our new neighbors came over for the first time this week. The young man looked around and said, “You must read a lot.” Well, DUH! With TWO readers and book collectors in the house, our decor theme is pretty much “library.” When I retire, I’ll have to make sure I leave my entire…ALMOST my entire collection behind!
(I love how you “shelved” your rhyme scheme!!)
Thanks Mary Lee. I like that: ‘you must read a lot!’
Oh my, I have exactly the same problem! Your poem sounded like the conversation my husband and I have on a regular basis. He can’t understand why I want to keep my books after I’ve read them. I tell him because I never know when I’ll want to go back and read them again. I’m going to read him your poem so he can see I’m not the only book collector. Thanks, Sally!
Glad to be of help, Linda. Mu husband has given up on that discussion 🙂
Bwa ha ha ha ha…..she finally knowed. I’m not quite at the point of knowing yet. But, I think I’m rapidly approaching! So fun especially the end where the wheels just come off your poem. I also love how many book recs I get from around the world from Poetry Friday. My journal just overflows with Friday entries!
Love your fun poem Sally–I seem to have this same problem–sooo I head to the library quite often, and end up with too many books taken out from the library too! I like this line especially,
“She added one more
To the teetering pile by her bed.”
Sounds like my bedside table, thanks!
I figured I’d find some (many) kindred spirits int he PF community, Michelle.