Love, Outside of Books – A Poem

One night, while

I was reading,

my book began

to glow. The

pages gave off

a soft white

light. I set

the book down

and looked at

it in wonder.

A tune that

I couldn’t place

played from inside

the pages. I

watched as the

words along the

page began to

reform themselves into

other words. I

watched them as

they spelled out

a message to

me. I leaned

closer to them,

but they were

a swirl of

letters I couldn’t

read. The music

grew louder and

the light grew

brighter. I wasn’t

afraid, but only

curious. An outline

of a hand

appeared on the

page and I

placed my hand

on it without

hesitation. The music,

so haunting and

beautiful, grew louder,

the light brighter

still until I

had to close

my eyes. When

I opened them

again, I was

inside my book,

the trees of

the Enchanted Forest

surrounding me, tall

enough to touch

the sky. In

front of me

stood the object

of my affection,

the hero of

the story. He

was even more

dashing in person.

His blond hair

flowed in the

wind and the

music that had

been coming from

the book was

louder here. He

smiled at me.

“You don’t belong here.”

He said. His

voice was gentle

though they uttered

a reprimand. I

nodded in agreement.

“I know I don’t.”

“Then why do you look for your heart’s desire inside of a book?”

“Because it doesn’t exist. He doesn’t exist.”

He shook his

head. still smiling.

“You just haven’t found the right man yet. Give it time, your story still has much to be told.”

“True love doesn’t exist in my world. It’s only in books and fairy tales that you find true love. It’s why I spend so much time writing and reading.”

He leaned forward

and ran a

thumb along my

chin. His eyes

looked deep and

serious and full

of deep warmth.

“You have to love yourself. Only then will someone capable of true love be able to find you.”

My skin was

warm from where

he had touched

my face. I

tried to take

in the entirety

of him, but

the light was

growing bright again.

“How will he find me?

“You shine bright like a beacon. He will find you.”

“Promise?”

“As you wish.”

He said. The

light grew so

bright, I had

to close my

eyes again. When

I opened them

once more, I

was back in

my own room.

“As you wish.”

I repeated. I

didn’t have much

luck with wishes

come true, but

I knew this

one would. I

just had no

idea when. So

I waited and

hoped and prayed.

I got on

with my life.

I fell into

what I thought

was love when

it was something

altogether different. I

fell out of

love with myself,

believing that my

wish made all

those many years

ago would never

come true. Then

one day, I

saw a light

in the distance.

It shone brighter

than the sun,

and I was

reminded of the

light that filled

the Enchanted Forest

so long ago.

Though I tried

to get closer

to it, I

could not. I

knew that it

would come to

me in time,

or that I

would find it,

stumble upon it.

While I waited,

I focused on

myself, believing that

I would never

find the other

half of my

light, that part

of me would

remain dimmed forever.

When I had

given up hope

and had resolved

myself to being

alone for the

rest of my

life, you entered

it. I remember

the first time

I saw you,

the instant spark

that happened between

us. It created

a light that

shone so brightly

that I almost

looked away, but

I didn’t. I

could only look

at you, the

shape of your

your face, the

depth of your

eyes. All I

saw was kindness

and beauty and

then my light

responded to yours.

Both our beacons

intermingled until the

light became brighter,

until my body

was filled with

our glorious light.

I heard that

music of long

ago, that tune

I had heard

inside the book.

Now I realized

that it came

from me and

it was my

heart responding to

the possibility of

you. As we’ve

grown to know

each other, our

love and our

light has continued

to grow. You’ve

proved that love

doesn’t exist only

inside of books

and that with

love, anything is

possible. You’ve proved

that wishes do

come true. I

can only give

you my heart

and watch as

our light grows

ever brighter.

“As you wish…”