Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, encased in colourful and gleaming spines,
I read stories of magical trees, flying chairs and life-long friendships.

A hundred different worlds are shielded by your strong, wooden arms.
All with their own secrets: forbidden thoughts, mythical creatures,
Shocking betrayal, twisting mysteries and great libraries.
They are fascinating yet dangerous to explore,
Blurring the line between what’s real and what’s not –
I lose myself in the blink of an eye.

The crinkling turning of the thousands of delicate pages.
Each advancement bestowing joy and happy squeals,
But also raw sorrow, along with choking, seizing sobs.
The emotion that blooms when I see your precisely inked words.
Each concealing its own special meaning.

Day and night, you tirelessly stand there, as if keeping watch.
As if sheltering your worlds from foreign hands and lands.