“In the Library” - The Original Poem

Before it was a full-length book, “In the Library” was the name of a single poem that I wrote in January 2014, a little over a year before the release of the book itself. While I took my time building the narrative that would become the full version, these handful of stanzas were written in one feverish sitting, ironically in an actual library.

I’d like to share this original poem with you all today:

I stand here lost in question

Nameless books in labeled halls
Countless line this corrupted building

A cry resounds from somewhere
It must be from one of these tomes
After all, one must have my cure

Frenzied by fear and desire
Compromising mental barriers
Running across these shelves
Before I collapse into madness 

It has to be among them
These dusty and pristine rogues
Holding the answer that I seek
A weapon to murder a nightmare
And restore idealistic beauty 

Heartbeats sync with furious hands
On spines tapped as I pass
And the laughter of phantasms
Trapped within my mind
Desperate for the peace
That comes with luminous love 

I follow the echoes here
A title worn, binding stained
Gaped open to reveal
Most pages have been expelled
So only void ones now remain
I shall take this enigma, embrace it
And we’ll write the ending ourselves

I’m sure you can see it right away how this piece evolved into the tragic tale of Neil and his journey through the Library. This speaker also seeks an answer to a very troubling, yet unknown, question., although arriving at a different ending than their protagonist counterpart. If you wish to see how that story plays out, be sure to pick up a copy of “In the Library” today!