I’ve streamed through life with constant warnings of danger,

“Steer clear of cars, stay away from fire, don’t talk to strangers!”

Somewhere between the buzz of these well-intended heeds,

I sought for solace and found them in books I read.

In this age of vice, we’re taught to grip life with talons,

To cage words about freedom and see the world as a challenge.

Yet the books I read are invigorating and free,

The books I read are an answer to my cry of plea.

Harry soars and breaks past the clouds in his magical broom,

Lydia elopes to Gretna Green with her not-so-great groom,

Alex and Aiden finally get their happily ever after,

But Seth, we assume, is doomed to life without laughter.

How I wish this world was one of mine,

Then I wouldn’t have to walk through life in a thin line.

My journey would be a blend of peaks and trenches,

And I would be perfectly content to just nourish my senses.

But it’s not so easy to wish myself into a different world,

I can’t recite a spell and let it all unfurl.

And so I’ve dealt with the reality I’ve been given,

As it turns out, it’s not half bad, once you give in.

The books I read teach me to relent when an occasion strikes,

The books I read teach me to notice the smiles, cries, stars, and stripes.

I can have my own adventure in this round, bleak place,

I just have to see it as MY place.

I can have my guard up and still battle dragons and discover mystic little caves,

I can evade the thorns and still make my heroic saves.

I can steer clear of cars and stay away from fire,

But still find a stranger who I can share with my whims of being a squire.

I owe it to the books I read to not play it safe all the time,

But to also take a chance and get mixed up in some mud and grime.