Beware the Colossal Library

The Colossal Library is a great beast

That swallows readers whole.

It is more dangerous than any dragon

Or any hungry troll.

Many an avid reader

Has fallen into the trap

Of seeking one book

Only to end up with several in their lap.

It may seem quite harmless

To get lost in a book.

But it isn’t harmless when you’re in

The Colossal Library’s nook.

For the Colossal Library

Is a grand, dangerous maze

With many, many books hidden

In secret passageways.

Books with adventure

And books with mystery,

Books with secrets any bookworm

Would devour eagerly.

With so many secret passageways

And good books for which a reader delves

Many become lost among

The many tall bookshelves.

They become lost for hours,

Days, months, years,

And those lucky to come out

Come out with nothing but tears.

Tears for the time wasted in their hunt 

For good tales for which they were desperate

And for their struggle and pain

To find the library’s exit.

Tears for the many years

Devoid of fellowship and laughter

That one gets from friends and family

Which they may not receive ever after.

For those who were lost for decades

In that horrid, wonderful library 

May find the gravestones

Of their friends and family.

Those who are unlucky

Are forever lost among the tomes

Leaving relatives and friends to mourn those 

Who will never return to their homes.

So, beware avid reader

Of the library which could be your doom.

For if you go in, that library

May become your sorrow or tomb.