Poem: "Literally and Figuratively"
This poem came out of the September 18, 2012 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired and sponsored by janetmiles. It belongs to the series Monster House, and you can read more about that on the Serial Poetry page.
Literally and Figuratively
When other high school students started getting jobs
flipping burgers or delivering pizza or things like that,
I began to wonder what I could do.
With the Eye of Fate,
I could see some things but not others,
which made working in a crowded kitchen risky,
and driving a car was right out.
Then the bookstore on the corner
posted an opening for a part-time gopher,
someone to unpack boxes and carry books
and do little things when the owners were busy.
So I went down to We've Got It Covered to apply.
The scholar's ghost grinned and ushered me in,
then puttered around the room during the interview
and generally made it clear that the owners had better hire me.
Which they did, and I got to work immediately
setting up the chairs for the writer's club that evening.
My brother came, as he often did,
with his best friend Melinda and her grandmother.
The table was covered with reference books
and busy writers and note pages full of critiques.
The bookwyrm twined around the legs of the chairs
and climbed onto Melinda's shoulder
to breathe very quietly into her ear.
After the writing and the reading were all done,
I cleared away the reference books
then brought out plates of cookies and pots of tea.
At the end I carried away the dishes
and wiped down the table,
helping the owners close up for the night.
I was glad that the little bookstore
always seemed to have something for everyone,
including a job for me.
"They really do have it covered,"
my brother said as the shades rolled down in the windows.
"Yes," I agreed, "literally and figuratively."