Dear Library…

This is where it all began,
A treasure buried beneath the sand,
The walls a tinted brownish tan,
The place where my fears can perch and land.
The stress of the day can disappear,
Because everyone is welcome here.
Countless stories throughout the walls,
Books range from color, small to tall.
Tales are told through countless ways,
Each with a unique thing to say.
Books have been written and this is their home,
Channeled through fiction, or true to the bone.
Each tells their own story, unfiltered and strong,
With ups and downs, still each can belong.
The world clambers and bustles outside of its walls,
Inside grows a silence without summon or call.
A way to escape, a path to heal,
You’re not alone, for now you can feel.
The countless feelings inside of books,
With stories reflecting new outlooks.
A friend you never planned to make,
Sometimes reflecting your past mistakes,
You see your same struggles through another lens,
You can gain the tools to comprehend,
To comprehend you are not alone,
Your feelings of misery away will be blown.
Parting the way through black and white,
To see there’s more than “wrong” and “right,”
To see that there is always gray,
To see the night mesh with the day.
Reading can help those to understand,
We don’t know everything, and we never can.
To look at life with this feeling in mind
We don’t know all the answers, all we can do is try-
Try to listen and learn as much as we can,
Learn about experiences those around us have had.
No story alone should be judged by a page,
This is not the whole story but only a frame.
Others have been here and walked in your shoes,
Walked across those very same steps as you.
Each carries perspective, one unlike your own,
Something new that will always deserve to be shown.
To share your own stories will open eyes,
To become a new light for those deprived.
The path you’ve paved is different and new,
And people have been here before you,
Each with their special story to share,
A unique experience for others to bear;
Through stories themselves may you channel your words,
Giving others a chance to listen and learn,
May you learn from yourself and heal as a whole,
Puzzle pieces patching a painfully beautiful soul.
An escape to part with the burden you carry,
This is why I love literature, and you, the library.

Forever yours,

Elle