[Graham Coulson]

Pick up a book when heavy are life’s burdens;
Follow a tale when your eyes no longer shine;
If you believe that Life has lost all meaning
Read a story where threads of a new world entwine:

Its novelty will speak to you of Wonder –
You’ll also find Peace, which through your heart will flow;
And if you’re seeking patient Understanding
Where else may it dwell but in a story’s glow?

I have nothing of worldly fame or fortune,
And I don’t hanker for triumphs such as these –
But give me an hour or two and I’ll find heaven
Reading a story quietly under the trees.

There’s Laughter, I hear it rippling as I follow
Its twists and its turns, its metaphors and mirth.
Pick up a book, if Hope within is waning,
And feel th’ Elation to which the tale gives birth.

If, for a while, I lose my zest for living,
If there are moments of which I dare not tell,
I’ll pick up a book and there I’ll find my Courage
Though Life may seem to approach the brink of Hell.

There’s so much to find where stories are unfurling,
With plot, characters and scenes as sharp as a knife;
To read through a book is almost like journeying
Into another world filled with newness of Life.