novembre ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- quietly, politely i am sitting at the circulation desk at the piedmont branch of the oakland public library. it is roughly the size of the house i grew up in, with high white ceilings, and lots of light. the bookshelves are painted sky blue and there is a picture of a giant blue cat riding a giant bicycle in the children's section (which is directly to my left from the circ desk) because may is national bike riding month. there is also a penguin sitting on the cat's head, and a frog sitting on the penguin's head. everything is sorted, organized, and clean. the paperbacks are sorted into category and then shelved in spinners --giant rotating spin racks -- that sit at the end of rows of bookshelves. there is a woman browsing the new picks section directly in front of me. she has darker skin that is lighter than the freckles splashed across her rounded cheeks. she is in her mid-fifties but her face is soft and reminds me of a small child's, indented slightly with worry lines around her eyes and mouth. she speaks in a quiet voice. her husband buys two books from the book sale, and they quietly, politely leave. 2:28 pm - 05.25.06 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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