A Lucretius Like Day

His On the Nature of Things changed everything.

Roberta offered a pass
to the inner sanctum
of the Boston Public Library
on a steamy day 
in mid July,
an opportunity to hide
from the heat 
and enjoy 
a true literary treat.

How could I
not accept it?!?!

It was rare access
to the John Adams archive,
a trove of books and letters
so prized they are preciously archived
and stored in ways libraries specialize.

Given to the Boston Public Library in 1894, the John Adams Library includes over 3,000 volumes collected by the second president during his lifetime (1735-1826).

Books, letters and manuscripts
laid out so carefully, linearly,
along a long oak table,
some propped up on low blocks,
some carefully laid open
to show pages with margins
meticulously filled with notes,
thoughts, ideas and suggested edits,
all made ages ago by John himself!

All deeply archived and safe
within the library
with the goal 
of making them accessible to all,
no white gloves needed!

It all made me think of Poggio Bracciolini, 
the little known Roman scribe
who rediscovered
deep in a German monastery 
Lucretius's long lost poem
On the Nature of Things,
and that changed everything.

Lucretius needed 
a Roberta!