A definite benefit of working in a library is watching books come and go.  Lots of times books coming in end up on my “to read” list.  Sometimes, though, I’ll see a book coming back over the counter that instantly puts me back in time.  Suddenly a faint memory will tug at the outer most reaches of my brain and I’ll recognize a favorite book from years ago.  Most of them have been picture books my folks read to us over and over.  For example, today I ran across Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey,  copyrighted originally in 1948, the story of a mom and her daughter Sal picking blueberries on one side of the mountain while a mama bear and her cub were enjoying blueberries on the other side of the mountain.  And then…jackpot!  Someone turned in the Complete Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Miline.  This book included two books I had as a kid and I’m pretty sure I still own; When We Were Very Young and Now We are Six.  I immediately looked for my favorite poem, “Halfway Down the Stairs.”  The book opened almost directly on that poem, must be it’s a favorite with youngsters even today.  Or maybe their parents and grandparents are reading it!  I’ll share it with you.

Halfway down the stairs

Is a stair

Where I sit

There isn’t any

Other stair

Quite like

It.

I’m not at the bottom,

I’m not at the top,

So this is the stair

Where

I always

Stop.

Halfway up the stairs

Isn’t up,

And isn’t down.

It isn’t in the nursery,

It isn’t in the town.

And all sorts of funny thoughts

Run round my head

It isn’t really

Anywhere!

It’s somewhere else

Instead!

This was my favorite poem, and I used to sit on a stair halfway up the stairs as a kid while I watched TV with the family, especially if we were watching something scary!

Today I think it describes me in other ways, working part time, halfway to a position as a librarian, still not quite there.  Makes you think what funny thoughts are swirling around my head in these halfway times.