Books are bulwark

· by · in dVerse, poetry, the aged librarian, villanelle. ·

Let books be bulwark, words preserved
as ink on paper never change
what’s written once we still observe

The archived truths is oft immersed
with ancient sense, too often strange
but books are bulwark, words preserved

Archives filling with best and worst
and neatly put on shelves, arranged
what’s written once is still observed

We cannot change our past, but thirst
to modify, to rearrange
books aren’t bulwark, words preserved

The libraries should be reserved
from oppression,fire and exchange
what’s written once, unchanged, observed

You should not follow what’s been served
decide yourself, don’t be estranged
by books as bulwark, words preserved.

Though past is vile we still deserve,
the sense from which we are estranged,
the books are bulwarks, worlds preserved
what’s written once, we just observe.

Photo by Henry Be on Unsplash

Today OLN is live at dVerse, 9 PM we will gather around the virtual campfire and read poetry enjoing ourselves.

August 24, 2023

17 responses to “Books are bulwark”

  1. The first thing I thought of when I heard/read ‘books are bulwark’ was a ship made of books, as a bulwark is an extension of the sides of a ship above deck level. But as I read on, I saw the books as a fortification, a place of ‘words preserved’. I enjoyed your villanelle, Björn, and pictured clearly in my mind the ‘archives filling with best and worst / and neatly put on shelves, arranged’.

  2. A lovely Villanelle, Bjorn! I especially love this part; “The libraries should be reserved from oppression, fire and exchange what’s written once, unchanged, observed.” 💖💖

  3. I often wonder how often words get changed over the centuries. We all seem to want to create our own truth and change bulwark words to suit us. Well done.

  4. I enjoyed this very much. I have always had a hard time with anyone wanting to change words or camouflage them to the point of non-existance. Something we are experiencing in Florida with our governor and his denial of facts.
    By the way, was your librarian friend there? ☺️

  5. Great write Björn, like the perspective here. Kathy and I also thank you for your kind thoughts.

  7. I read this when you first posted it so it was a greater pleasure still to hear you read it. I have been reading Margaret Atwood’s “On Writers and Writing” and she contrasts the oral tradition of storytelling with the written form – the first changes form teller to teller but written words – though immutable in themselves, change reader to reader and I think you capture this idea very well in your poem…

  8. I enjoyed hearing you read this, but reading it, I can ponder more. I love libraries and archives. Here in the US, libraries are being attacked and books removed. It is a horrible thing. Libraries should be bulwarks.

  10. Enjoyed, as always, hearing you read on OLN LIVE. Words once written, never change….books as bulwark, especially in, for example, The Library of Congress in the US. It’s where the Declaration of Independence is on display under glass. I find this poem an interesting juxtaposition to the Woke movement in the U.S. where, for example, Florida is purging its school libraries of books, rewriting history in so many ways, claiming slaves learned skills that helped them in life and in a later career perhaps. Unfortunately, in the US right now, books are not bulwarks and words are being changed and reinterpreted to the detriment of many.

  12. Wise and farseeing: when we no longer preserve the historicity of texts as “a bulwark” and alter them to suit our own contextual moment, we lose the benefits of history, invoking the condemnation to repeat its “vile” acts.

  13. Very nice and I wish I could have heard you read it. It would have been wonderful to hear. I’m still trying to figure out time differences to be able to link in. 🙂

  14. My thoughts went straight to an old hymn “a mighty fortress, etc” when I read your ‘books as bulwark’ analogy. Safe and sound when I immerse myself in a good book; no one or nothing will penetrate that kind of perfect solitude. Wonderful seeing you this morning.

  15. This poem resonates with me considering all the people in the U.S. who keep working to ban books from public and school libraries. How sad to be so afraid of books.
    These repeated lines especially spoke to me,
    “the books are bulwarks, worlds preserved
    what’s written once, we just observe.”

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