Book Dusters
There’s cliffs
of books
for us dusters
at the NLS.
We’re at the bookface
inch by inch
and year by year
we climb we traverse
we keep the dust off
the millions.
It’s satisfying
it’s not boring
every book
is different
the leather the cloth
the fancy the plain
there’s time
to scan titles
some pretty odd ones
I can tell you.
It’s like painting
the Forth Bridge
without the fresh air
and fear
of drowning.
About this poem
‘Book Dusters’ is taken from a new online anthology of poems celebrating some of Edinburgh’s behind-the-scenes heroes, edited by Christine De Luca. The Edinburgh Unsung project brings together 26 poems by 23 poets, paying tribute to those whose work largely goes unnoticed but without whom this Festival city would be less safe, less clean, less efficient, less pleasant to study or work in, less vibrant and much less interesting to visit.
