Today I opened the book
You gave me on thunder-clouds
And found waist-deep water –
On the next page it joined a river
Meandering into the distance
I can’t go even one step into the book
You gave me on plants – it’s a jungle,
The trees so tall they won’t let sunlight
Reach the ground
The book you gave me to learn about fountains
Now has a giant waterfall
Cascading down all day
Even the white feather you gave me for a bookmark:
The book I put it in
Now has hundreds of birds flying, chirping, swimming
All the books you gave me are now deserts and mountains,
They are the sun and the horizon…
But it’s today that my friends are coming over to see my library –
They want to know how much of a scholar I am.
What will I show them, how can I show my face?