A Book - Poetry Shared

Rachel (the daughter) was pretty unhappy that her efforts in reading over 400 books and submitted the summaries of each book to the teacher were not probably recorded. She thought she had read the most numbers of books over the two years. She wanted to win a prize. The teacher was silent about it.

She told her brother, "Do not need to read books." The mother was fast to "undo" such negative thoughts.

An old friend who loves poetry was all excited that his poem has been featured in Oxford Poetry Society Magazine. He sent me a copy. His poem on "A Book" tells all - reading is not for a prize. It is...

A Book

these page-locked words
that imprison the world within
each turned page
as opened door to paradise
where we meet friends
without seeing them
witnessing their smiles, tears,
all in the quiet of the mind
or a journey to hell
where we pound our heads against wall
only to find the quiet moon
at the barred window
glaring at our stupidity
the mighty ocean of the human mind
each of these page locked words
oozes into,
soak up characters
as each trudges in
the mind that turns each word
into gold
or handcuffs it into bondage
the world rocks with each turned page
a ship in tempest ocean
an eagle gliding in the clear blue sky
for good, for bad
a newly created angel awaits his trial
for all the imprisoned words on the shelves
an opened door at the deepest recess of my mind
where they could stand in a new line
to meet a new world
for good for bad

John Tiong Chungho