I remember that memory as clear as day,
It was back when we were living in Texas,
Mommy you were in your red recliner
The room was lit by one small lamp
The window was left slightly ajar
And the stars were twinkling
More brighter than the lamp
And I was sitting at your feet
You were reading me a book
And my four year old heart and mind,
Were eating the words in
Like my last meal before death
You were reading the words
Like poetry rolling off your tongue
You had this expression
On your face
That I wouldn’t be able to define,
Even if I did have a dictionary at hand
Every time you turned the page,
You would look up at me and smile
To reassure yourself I was still awake
Every night before bed you would read to me
Dr. Seuss amazed me with the way words can rhyme
Marc Brown opened my eyes to the wonders of colors,
In picture books
Shel Silverstein taught me poetry
But mom showed me how to love,
She taught me how to read and love
And love and read
She taught me the beauty that each word holds
She would take me to the library everyday of the summer
And read to me, and I would read to her
She taught me that beauty is this world,
And this world is beauty
But I will never forget how she used to read to me every night
How she taught me to love, live, and fight for what I believe in.