Yes, I know I'm a novelist and not a poet, but I was inspired to write this short poem when I discovered that one of my books is currently listed in the Northern Ireland Libraries catalogue. It started me thinking about the old days when a visit to the library was one of my very favourite activities.

Childhood memories hidden away

Are coming to the fore today,

The Secret Seven, the Famous Five,

To me those characters were alive,

Adventures, mysteries, families, schools,

I devoured them all; I had no rules.

The thing I really used to like

Was going to the library on my bike,

Savouring the atmosphere, quiet and calm,

Selecting books to hold in my palm,

Then cycling home and starting to read;

In those halcyon days I was sowing the seed.

As I grew and developed and studied and read

The lives of great characters filled my head;

Wife, mother, grandmother, schoolteacher too,

I always found time for a novel or two,

But a spark often flickered in the depths of my mind

And I dreamed that my future could well be defined.

All through my teens and my adult years

Books kindled laughter, reflection and tears,

And that seed has been growing; my dream has come true,

I've achieved what I always wanted to do,

Because now I've become a writer myself

And books bearing my name sit on the shelf!

Copyright Heather MacQuarrie 4th May 2015

A Voice from the Past (2013)

In the Greater Scheme of Things (2014)

Blood is Thicker (2015)