Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Karen Fleur Adcock’s "Schools: Salfords, Surrey" is less a reflection on formal education than it is a celebration of the formative power of childhood reading and imagination. The poem focuses on a modest public library in Salfords, Surrey, and the profound impact of its collection on the young speaker, capturing the intersection of literature, memory, and identity.

The opening lines immediately dismiss the school itself: “Forget about the school—there was one, / which I’ve near enough forgotten.” This deliberate exclusion shifts the focus to the small tin-roofed library, an unassuming structure that housed a treasure trove of stories for the speaker. By framing the library as the poem’s centerpiece, Adcock elevates it from a mundane, functional space to a site of wonder and discovery. Its physical modesty—the “tiny tin-roofed shed of brick”—contrasts with the expansive worlds it contains.

The speaker’s memory of lying flat on the floor to browse the shelves evokes an intimate, tactile connection to the act of reading. This detail is both nostalgic and universal, reflecting a child’s immersive experience of losing themselves in books. The titles she recalls—Rose Fyleman’s fairy verse and Tales of Sir Benjamin Bulbous, Bart.—hint at the whimsy and adventure that captivated her young mind. These books are markers of a time when stories were magical escapes, untainted by the complexities of adult life.

At the heart of the poem is the mysterious “book that really stuck in my heart,” an unidentified tale about “a talking horse, the Pooka, / and Kathleen, and the quest they both made / through tunnels under the earth.” This half-remembered story becomes emblematic of the magical and elusive nature of childhood imagination. The speaker’s fragmented recollection—“Herbs and flowers came into it, spangled / through a dream of eyebright, speedwell, / Kathleen’s bare legs blotched blue with cold”—captures the way such stories linger in memory, their details vivid but incomplete, like shards of a dream.

This forgotten book symbolizes more than a single story; it represents the imaginative freedom and boundless curiosity of childhood. The Pooka’s underground quest parallels the speaker’s own exploration of the library’s shelves, both journeys filled with wonder and discovery. The absence of the book’s title or author adds to its mythic quality, reinforcing the idea that it has transcended its physical form to become a lasting, personal myth.

Adcock juxtaposes this idyllic vision with a humorous yet poignant anecdote about her mother’s censorship of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. The speaker’s innocent expectation—“that sounded nice”—collides with the adult reality of its darker themes. Her mother’s intervention—removing and hiding the book—underscores the tension between a child’s curiosity and the protective instincts of adults. The speaker’s dismissal of the incident—“No loss, I’d say”—is tinged with both humor and a subtle critique of overprotectiveness. It also highlights the contrast between the books she was allowed to read and those deemed inappropriate, emphasizing the unique freedom the library afforded her.

The final question, “But where shall I find the Pooka’s travels underground?” leaves the reader with a sense of longing. The Pooka’s story, like many cherished childhood experiences, has become irretrievable, existing only as a fragmentary memory. This yearning reflects the universal desire to reconnect with the magic of youth, to rediscover the stories that shaped us before the constraints of adulthood took hold.

"Schools: Salfords, Surrey" is a deeply nostalgic and evocative poem that captures the transformative power of reading in childhood. Adcock’s vivid imagery and conversational tone invite the reader to reflect on their own early encounters with literature and the indelible marks they leave on the heart and mind. The poem is a celebration of libraries, stories, and the enduring mystery of imagination—a reminder of how the simplest spaces can house the most profound adventures.

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