For the first time, my monthly book club met through Zoom. It was different, of course. We could neither smell the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee nor taste the homemade cake or cookies that our host for the month would have baked.
But we still had each other.
And between us an opened book we had read and would discuss.
Last week, instead of an email, my friend Claire sent me a poem. Thank you, Claire. I owe you the idea for this short blog post.
BOOKS FALL OPEN
by David McCord
Books fall open,
you fall in,
delighted where,
you’ve never been.
Hear voices
not once heard before,
Reach world through world,
through door on door.
Find unexpected
keys to things,
locked up beyond
imaginings….
True books will venture,
Dare you out,
Whisper secrets,
Maybe shout,
across the gloom,
to you in need
Who hanker for
a book to read.
Nothing, I agree, has more power than a book to unleash imagination when bodies no longer have the freedom to wander. This poem is for you, children, away from your schools and living now within the confines of your homes.
I MET A DRAGON FACE TO FACE
By Jack Prelutsky
I met a dragon face to face
the year when I was ten,
I took a trip to outer space,
I braved a pirate’s den,
I wrestled with a wicked troll,
and fought a great white shark,
I trailed a rabbit down a hole,
I hunted for a snark.
I stowed aboard a submarine,
I opened magic doors,
I traveled in a time machine,
and searched for dinosaurs,
I climbed atop a giant’s head,
I found a pot of gold,
I did all this in books I read
when I was ten years old.
Read and if you’re lucky enough to have a yard enjoy its simple spring treasures.
Take good care of yourself and each other.
Evelyne Holingue 