Books
I sit in the safety and quiet of my room
The light breeze blowing in from my beside window
And the soft light beaming from above me
I pick up a book and say, “Just one chapter.”
But “just one chapter” always turns into
“Just one more chapter”
I drink in the words on the page in front of me
Bewitched by the extreme emotion that spills
Off the page and into my heart
Addicted to the feel of the book in my hands
The smell of ink and paper as I flip each page
Suddenly, I am no longer in my room but
In New York City meeting new people and
Sitting on a bench watching the busy traffic go by
I am in the sweet hills of Caddair Idris, Wales
Looking at the ocean while perched in my safe house
I am no longer a girl from West Virginia,
But an Amazon warrior trained to survive
Oh, the many lives I have lived.
With each new novel I consume
I feel more heartbreak, more joy, and more life
The words begin to jump off the page
And dance all around me saying,
“Follow us! We will take you anywhere you want to go.
We will show you anything you want to see.”
And of course I follow
How could I turn down such an offer?
Words have the power to change us
Might I sweep up all the words I could find
And throw them in a book,
Monstrous power would exude
I am always shocked to find
When I am awakened from my literary musings
I remain in the solace of my room
New York City’s hustle and bustle has gone;
The breathtaking view from my safe house in Wales
Is no more;
I am not an Amazon warrior trained to survive.
Yet, I am all these things and more
The words now live inside me and not just on a page
Oh, the many glorious lives I have lived.