With Straight Gold Bars
I sat beside my mother as the sale
Was made, the purchase of The World Book
Encyclopedia. I loved the pale
Cream, knobbled leatherette, the noble look
Of deep maroon squares placed on the spines, each
Restrained and heavy volume, glossy leaves
Of shining color visuals—the reach
Of all in classic beauty as the eaves
Of widened wonder. Suddenly at school
My fourth-grade teacher gave us each a myth
From ancient Greece to tell. We had the tool,
My mother and her little boy, so with
Me at her side we learned of that son who
Defied the gods and father— and who flew!