Leaves Of Gold Poem by Richard D Remler

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The School Board stopped by today
To look at what we're reading.
They reminded me of gardeners
All fit to do some weeding.

They took their precious, valued time,
And never missed a lick,
To quarantine the stories they
Were sure would make us sick.

Tales of not so long ago,
And stories of today,
That might, perhaps, help us see
Things in a different way.

Stories rent with history,
And bound with a book.
Tales of woe and wonder
That were worth a timely look.

They tossed out 1984,
And Huckleberry Finn.
Claimed they boasted anarchy,
And a bit of racism.

"Lord of the Flies' was taken then,
No Witness 'round to plead its case.
And they tossed it in a cardboard box,
As if it had no purpose and no place.


They searched out Philip Pullman,
And hunted end to end,
For a certain Amber Spyglass
They were certain would offend


They sought out Orwell with alarm,
A Writer they could not ignore,
And snapped up his 'Animal Farm.'
Just one more prisoner of war.

They extracted 'Go Ask Alice, "
And 'The Catcher In The Rye, '
Saying it was for our best,
And that we need not know why.

And then they took the little things,
Like, 'I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings'.
Then they were off again,
Trouncing on, 'Of Mice And Men."

"The Color Purple' was the next to go,
Though why they took it I don't know.
And quick as I could blink an eye,
They pulled, 'A Day No Pigs Would Die."

"Brave New World' caught their eye,
And they mumbled quiet, spy to spy.
They snatched it like the grimmest reaper,
And tossed it on 'My Sister's Keeper."

They tossed the lot without a word,
And carted them away,
To be locked and bound with dust and dirt,
Where only the forgotten play.

The School Board stopped by today
To do a bit of weeding.
And to steal away those leaves of gold
They didn't want us reading.


Copyright © MMXIII Richard D. Remler

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Explore a good book when you can...

Of Mice And Men ~ John Steinbeck
Go Ask Alice~ Anonymous
Animal Farm ~ George Orwell
I know Why The Caged Bird Sings ~ Maya Angelou
A Day No Pigs Would Die ~ Robert Newton Peck
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ~ Mark Twain
Brave New World ~ Aldous Huxley
Lord Of The Flies ~ William Golding
The Outsiders ~ S. E. Hinton
The Catcher In The Rye ~ J. D. Salenger
The Color Purple ~ Alice Walker
My Sister's Keeper ~ Jodi Picoult
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower ~ Stephen Chbosky

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"Think for yourselves and let others
enjoy the privilege to do so, too."
~Voltaire

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