Editor's
Note: Today, March 1, is Read Across America Day.
The
Reading Owl Kingdom
by
Norbert Krapf
Once
there was an owl
who
after cataract surgery
instead
of going on the prowl
would
read books in his tree.
This
reading owl would sit on high
and
read and devour book after book
and
believe you me this is no lie–
they
called his corner The Book Nook.
Other
critters who didn’t sleep at night
would
crawl, scamper, or fly on over
to
see a reading owl so very bright
he
would read books cover to cover.
Pretty
soon all the denizens of those woods
came
to be known for the legendary wisdom
that
brought others into their neighborhood
to
witness the wise old reading owl’s kingdom.
Norbert
Krapf, former
Indiana Poet Laureate, has recently published his 12th poetry
collection, The Return of
Sunshine, about
his Colombian-German-American grandson. He is completing a collection
of poems for children and a prose memoir about his writing life,
Homecomings.