A Book

A Book

To hold it in my hand,
to feel the weight of wings
upon the page, wonderful
mental shadows roaming through
the leaves bound tightly,
stitched and glued between
the covers front and back.

I pause, lids shut tight,
images created behind my
eyes by letters transformed
as if by magic into words.
Thoughts which fill the
space between the sounds
which could be heard
if anyone were speaking.

Between the covers first
and last the King has died.
A love so strong has listless
grown beneath the jeweled sky.
A mother's tear of joy slides
down a youthful cheek and stains
the ivory leaf between the
covers first and last.

A magic box could not so precious
be. The wonders of the book can
steal into our hearts as silently
as wisps of smoke into our eyes,
and leave us memories of things
that we have never done, of places
we have never been, and images
of things that we will never see.

David Muxo McPherson
2020