Public Poetry at the Northfield Public Library

In early August, the director of the Northfield Public Library, Teresa Jensen, asked me to write a poem to be displayed prominently in the atrium of the Northfield Public Library. She wanted something that would capture the essence of the library as a place of knowledge and stories, a community gathering place, and a democratic institution. I wrote a poem in five stanzas of four lines each. The first four stanzas consist of three lines in English and a concluding line in Spanish. The final stanza translates each of the Spanish lines into English.

On Friday, November 17, 2017, the poem was installed at the public library. The plastic films were designed, created, and installed by Graphic Mailbox in Northfield. Here's the Northfield Public Library's Facebook post unveiling the new poem:

And here's the text of the poem:

This is where we come for windows on another world,

and where we find mirrors to look at ourselves.

This is the house we have built to house our histories.

Esta es la puerta que se abre a nuestra vida común.

Here is the end of our search, and the start of our journey.

Here is the map and the transport and the destination,

here the main-traveled roads and the road not taken.

Aquí está el camino que hacemos caminando juntos.

Here the stars are named, and still retain their mystery.

Here there are dragons curled over their hoard of words.

Here is what we know, and what can only be imagined.

Este es el lugar donde se reúnen todas nuestras historias.

This is where we compose the poetry of a more perfect union

and learn to harmonize with the better angels of our nature.

Here is our faith in each other and our common purpose.

Este es un lugar de bienvenida a todas y todos.

This is the door that opens on our common life.

Here is the road that we make by traveling together.

This is the gathering of all our stories.

This is a place where all are welcome.

Thanks to Mar Valdecantos for making corrections to my Spanish.