FOR readers unfamiliar with the initials, the NLS is the National Library of Scotland on George IV Bridge, Edinburgh. Hamish Whyte, who writes about it here, is a poet, editor, and publisher. Born near Glasgow, he now lives in Edinburgh but retains a western connection as an honorary research fellow in Scottish literature at Glasgow University. His poem comes from his 2016 collection Things We Never Knew (Shoestring Press, £10).

BOOK DUSTERS

There’s cliffs

of books

for us dusters

at the NLS.

We’re at the

bookface

inch by inch

year by year

we climb we traverse

we keep the dust off

millions.

It’s satisfying

it’s not boring

every book

it different

The leather the cloth

the fancy the plain

there’s time

to scan titles

some pretty

odd ones

I can tell you.

It’s like painting

the Forth Bridge

without the fresh air

and fear

of drowning.