Working 9-4 at a small college library, during summer, can be a solitary job.
I'm the only one here
I can hear water dripping in the fish tank
on the other side of the room.
It's a big room.
It used to be filled with thousands of books
on metal shelves.
Now there are six square tables,
One large round table
with a well-used power strip in the middle,
Brown faux leather couches near the windows,
Plants on ledges.
The water noise keeps me company
as I sit
trying to think of something to do.
I hear a door close
in the hall,
probably someone coming in to use the restroom.
If they want to refill a water bottle,
I'll have company
for a minute or two.
I swear there's a hum,
Is it in my head
or is it coming from the HVAC system or lights?
I feel like the library queen,
Perched on my chair,
Looking out at the vastness..
Across from my perch at the desk,
A sign in a cracked plastic holder,
"Book Sale 2 for $1,"
We rarely sell any
of the outdated textbooks
and class related materials.
Maybe they were read once upon a time,
Now, they gather dust,
their spines lean on each other
and stare at me
every minute I am at the circulation desk,
which is around 55 minutes of each hour,
Except for when I pulled half a dozen books in the morning
and placed them in the red bin
for transit to other libraries
that perhaps are more busy than mine.
Time to make my hourly rounds
check the empty study rooms,
maybe push in a chair,
walk up the stairs,
even the lizards are absent today,
walk through the stacks,
check that the A/V equipment room is still looked,
come back down,
maybe step outside for a minute to
feel the sun,
then back inside,
just in case the phone rings
or someone comes in,
Maybe I'll check the book drop,
even though I checked it three hours ago,
It was empty then,
just like it was empty yesterday
and the other days I checked it.
Working alone is okay,
but it's easier
when there are people in the building
and I can feel some of their energy.
Alone, in the building,
I feel my energy wane
and look for ways to recharge.
Until…
Two instructors come back,
their office is being recarpeted
so they're working from here.
And then a student comes in.
and then another.
Hooray,
I am not alone.
Except the students leave within fifteen minutes.
So it is just
two instructors using computers
in the quiet room,
And me making the rounds more often than necessary
so my feet don't cramp
on the rim
of the black chair
I wiped down when I got here
because it is a hair and dust magnet.
I'm not the only one here
but it is quiet,
I'm thankful that the battery operated clock
was taken down
and the battery not replaced.
The echo of ticking
would not be as
easy to listen to
as the melodic drip of water
in the fish tank.
Oh, did I mention that the student who cleans the tank
came in,
talking on his phone,
did his job,
and left?
