The Gift of Escape
I was young and oh so small,
But I wandered off by myself.
Step by step along the broken sidewalk and
Treelined streets with little traffic,
Until the old ivy encrusted stone building
Rose up in front of me.
My shoes made little sound
As I climbed the stone steps.
Ancient in my young eyes,
Comforting and sturdy,
Covered with leaves and dust,
A magic walkway to the unknown.
The ceiling soared high above.
Not a whisper could be heard.
Not a breath of air moving
In this silent tomb.
Simply rows and rows of books
Marching off into the distance.
Today I shed my chrysalis
I spread my wings wide to dry.
No more to descend.
Downstairs was for children.
I rose slowly into the unknown.
It was time to let childhood go
The upstairs was filled
With a siren's call of titles.
Grown up books with adventures
To excite my curious mind.
I was lost in a sea of choices
With no idea where to begin.
This time I found a mystery
That begged to be solved.
Next a science fiction called me
To explore worlds far away
I flew on the backs of dragons,
Met freaky aliens galore.
Decades later I still travel
Around the world and to the stars.
Solve mysteries, save worlds,
Cry with strangers unknown.
Am uplifted, entertained
Cheered, scared and informed
The gift reading freely offers
That astounds me to this day,
Is no matter what your life holds,
Whether easy times or hard,
You can escape into a book any time
From the comfort of an easy chair.
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