The Book
By Fred Chappell
Poet Laureate Emeritus of North Carolina
It waits as patiently as a forest trail
To take you to a place you must have heard about,
Quiet and exciting, a glade to be alone in,
With those who came before.
At first the journey is one slow letter at a time,
But sooner than you thought, you clip along,
Your pace growing smarter with each step.
You never arrive at an end
Because you never want to,
And a thousand other trails lead off from this one path,
Mysterious, inviting, alive with shadowy light.
The book will go with you as far as you desire.
And if you like, I will come with you.