Ikeogu Oke attended our Crash Course in Children’s Book Publishing this past weekend. A celebrated poet and public affairs commentator from Abuja, Nigeria, Ikeogu wrote the following poem about his visit to Boyds Mills.
Honesdale
by Ikeogu Oke
November 12, 2016
I stayed, a guest of Highlights1,
In a cabin deep in Honesdale2,
Where trees in fall, though shivering,
Stood sentry all about, their frayed coats
Of yellow leaves piled on the forest floor.
A journal on its oaken desk
Would call its care the best;
And though I hadn’t seen the rest,
I couldn’t but agree – with those
Who said its simple cheer
Was cozier than the rest,
Who had shared this balmy bed
Before I’d lodged in it?
And felt its cradling arms like milk
That kept the cold at bay.
The workshop was itself
Again beyond my thoughts, a programme
Truly well-designed to uplift the young
With tales: to improve earth’s children
And their lot with stories fun and wise.
And what with that tour of Boyds3,
Her nearby cousin press!
Many, the good souls I met,
Teachers, learners, all, whose
Names and deeds I can’t disclose
Or leave the others’ out.
1Highlights: Boyds Mills.
2Honesdale: A rural part of Pennsylvania.
3Boyds: Boyds Mills Press.
