In the bottom drawer
of his desk he keeps
his pieces, parts,,
and scribbled shorthand
notes and fragments,
pebble-thoughts and pearls
They are clamped together
with infernal shopping lists
for celebratory dinners
once eaten by his desk
in solitude;
There are IOU’s
from friends who passed,
receipts for paper,
ink and screws, his will
and the paper of divorce
he never signed;
there are quotes he wrote
himself and aphorisms,
a sonnet for a visitor
with whom he parted ways,
passport photos, tickets, briefs
In the bottom drawer
of his desk he keeps
his wilted chaos under lock and key,
while on the shelves beyond
(his library, his life)
perfection rules.
Today I host Open Link Live at dVerse which starts at 9 PM CET. I will read my new librarian poem.
December 9. 2021
Björn Rudbergs writings 
This is awesome. I love this so much.
Loved this, Bjorn. I feel the librarian is coming into focus, his “wilted chaos” kept “under lock and key” escaping the “bottom drawer” to be devoured by our curiosity: a trail of a life short of perfection like the rest of us, yet as a librarian impeccable and tidy.
Pax,
Dora
You hooked me with “the paper of divorce he never signed”. The librarian is a enigmatic figure, a man of mystery, and he collects secrets like others collect jewels.
Wonderful. The duality is telling, between the disorder and order. Again, as always, superb flow of ideas and sounds.
I loved your poem, and I could really hear 10cc playing along (an old favorite of mine)
One man’s chaos is another’s orderly organization of stuff.
Behind every great book a slovenly slush pile. Thanks for singing it forth.
I very much enjoyed hearing you read this today. The loneliness of a restrainted life takes front and center, regardless of whether examining the “wilted chaos” of memory baubles in the drawer or in the sterility of the rules perfection he lives under.
I hear a loneliness in this, a separation from, a loss of connection. The details make me think of what he has gone through by what is left behind. I especially like, “he keeps
his wilted chaos under lock and key,”
while elsewhere his life is organized to perfection. Humans are full of contradictions, aren’t we?
Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading it.
We all have those places where we store the reality of our lives. We even peek at them every once in awhile…(K)
We all wilt somewhere beneath our tarnished perfection. So well done!
This is exquisitely drawn, Bjorn! 😀 I especially like; “there are quotes he wrote himself and aphorisms, a sonnet for a visitor with whom he parted ways.” 💝💝
“wilted chaos”
what a great phrase
Wonderful! 🙂
Reblogged this on Reena Saxena.
Luv the contrast presented in every verse. And to top it off the perfection within all of the chaos in the end verse
much💜love
I love the image of those ‘pebble-thoughts and pearls.’ I am sure the Aged Librarians thoughts are just like that!
The librarian hides his chaos well, since order is his path..yet chaos is part of what makes order needed and loved. And I love these poems about him. This one gives us both the usual glimpse into his soul,his ways, but also a glimpse into our own, where we may be trying to master what otherwise would master us.
Wonderful insight into the Librarian, Bjorn. Sorry I couldn’t be there to hear it. Maybe next year.
Reblogged this on OPENED HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
A lovely poem full of jostling images, like a first scene of a film. It was also lovely to hear you read it 🙂
I guess we all have such a drawer! Loved the contrast of ‘wilted chaos'(excellent title) and the orderliness of the library.
I like your librarian. There’s a little of all of us in him. Fascinating character.
This may be one of my favorite Librarian poems. I really love it.
This “wilted chaos” that he keeps locked up along with parts of his mind, I assume, and the hints of his personal life and losses in the unsigned divorce papers–just wonderful.
Great metaphor and imagery! Life is full of little odds and ends that fill our drawers, and that wilted chaos we just keep under lock and key, in bottom drawer. The human experience is rather messy! ❣