Torn from its orbit
the library vessel,
untethered.
is free
to seek out a world
were wisdom is prized
more than the weight
of its ink blotted pulp.
Free from gravity’s pull,
the knowledge has left
in its wake
only murder & greed,
while humanity’s soul
seeks new fertile soil
unspoilt
where balance may thrive.
Today Sanaa hosts dVerse OLN where we can link up any one poem. I went with Sci-Fi library theme this time.
January 16, 2025
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Perhaps it must leave, at least from these shores, to escape the banning of books that runs rampant, here.
I think that even worse than the ban is that nobody reads anymore… literacy is in rapid decline.
This is incredibly powerful, Bjorn! I wonder where and how far the library vessel is roaming in search of worlds where wisdom will be valued 💙💙
Amazing. I hope the library is valued in an alternate universe.
Books are valued less than its pulp today,
I love Speculative Poetry- and, strangely, have recently drafted a poem about reading and space travel!
A great poem Bjorn.
Just think how many library wings can be crammed on the wings of Saturn! Maybe they’ll find readers there too. I wonder at the huge university libraries, how vacant they must be these days.
I simply must believe that wisdom, reading books and thoughtfulness exists somewhere on this Earth …. I must or risk losing my mind.
I love the idea of a library in space, Björn, and we at dVerse are safe in the knowledge that our anthologies are already out there. Thankfully, there is no book banning in the UK, I hope there never will be, and I am blessed to have grandchildren who love books; Lucas is an avid reader, and my daughter has a bedtime routine in which they all read together. These lines stood out for me:
‘…wisdom is prized
more than the weight
of its ink blotted pulp’.
heartening that only the library is leaving and not the writers as the Cosmos has its eye on us!
I like the idea of the library vessel in space. I wonder if the Librarian went with it?
Ink blotted pulp made me smile….
Yes it is true, fewer people read these days. It’s so sad. A book is a good friend who will go with you anywhere.
Love these lines
to seek out a world
were wisdom is prized
more than the weight
of its ink blotted pulp.
Libraries and wisdom walk hand-in-hand. If more people read widely we wouldn’t end up with morons in office. Raising my coffee mug to my library!!
“ink blotted pulp”, wonderful sound to this phrase….very imaginative and clever poem ….JIM
Torn from its orbit
the library vessel,
untethered.
is free … stardat 1/19/25/
wonderful — love it Björn
Now that’s the only kind of spaceship I’m boarding!!! The Library Vessel, wait up! I need to get on… 🙂
Lovely concept, and what a rip-roaring first stanza. One wishes..though metaphorically, that’s dverse….!
I felt a deep grief in reading this, a sad truth Bjorn.
What a sad reality, nobody wants to read books these days.
Wisdom being prized over murder and greed would surely be a welcome shift in the world, friend.
A how we long for balance in this unbalanced world!