Beautifully big windows 

light up the back room 

away from the bustling entrance 

and the rowdy children's section. 

I settle down at a desk with a warm lamp 

I see only one person dosing

in the armchair with green polka dots 

across the room. 

It's quiet 

almost noiseless except 

the occasional 

shuffling of footsteps on the smooth floor, 

the turning of a page from a thick textbook, 

the faint scratching of my pen on paper. 

Taking a deep breath 

in through the nose and

also out through the nose 

to maximize scent but

minimize sound... 

I smell 

the soft fragrance of yellowing, worn books 

mingling with the odor of sweat 

radiating off those who have stumbled through the doors 

in search of air conditioning.  

I smell 

the dark wooden walls 

and the dusty carpet trampled by the thousands of people

who have also walked through these halls. 

I smell 

baby powder wafting in from the children's section, 

shining with young laughter and excitement. 

Another ray of sunlight hits my notebook 

having spilled in

through those big glass windows. 

So, 

despite the spotty wifi, 

despite the small piles of gum stuck upside down 

underneath the desks, 

despite the occasional interruptions 

marked by childish squeals and laughter, 

This is where I want to be.