I love villains in fiction
The ones that captivate you
From the moment they strut onto the scene
Who drives the plot better than the hero
The type of villain that can turn the story on its head
And shamelessly hurl it into chaos

Villains who are smarter deadlier yet somehow
More charming than the main character
Making you feel guilty for loving them
Their electricity surges through you  
Their presence echoes long after the story has left them
Searing your memory and leaving you begging for their return

Her baby walks
She looks on proudly
One foot then the other
Step by step
Across the stage

His eyes find hers
Arms thrown high in victory
Diploma in hand
“Mommy look at me”
Her baby walks

When reading a juicy book
Don’t rush

Take a moment to sample the plot
Allowing it to saturate your imagination

Contemplate the tasteful expressions
That spice up the story

Notice how the vivid imagery
Blends beautifully with the conveyed emotions

Of course the main ingredients are the delicious characters
Turning an otherwise average read into a satisfying experience

Allow it all to settle in your mind
Savoring the message it imparts

And once you’ve reached your fill
Turn the page for another serving

The clock resets its days to start over
As we all wait in anticipation for
A cake inflamed by party colored candles
Promising a clean slate
365 days begin anew
Full of promises and experience
A breath exhales
Flames go out  
Its zero hour once again

Story after story
Displayed on stories upon stories
Of multiple library floors
In large spacious rooms

Levels of fiction
Nonfiction
Mystery
Poetry

On and on they go
Lined on shelves dauntingly high
Or Child-level low
Artful as featured works in museums

We congregate with hushed voices in examination
Yet we can touch them
We are invited to
We can reach out and remove a piece of history

From the ancient days of scrolls
To the modern pages
We pull them from their places
To discover the wonders within

Sharing in the joy that emanates
From the joining of imaginations
A connection so powerful
It unites the hearts of strangers

We lose ourselves for hours
In our favorite chapters
With our beloved characters
Whom we come to love as precious friends

Reading ignites the imaginative powers of the self
And it all begins by pulling a book off of a shelf

I brought your favorite flowers again
Tulips blue and yellow
Laid them down before you
Adding to all the rest

You’re running out of room
It’s starting to look more like a garden
Than a grave

I would stop bringing them
But I don’t feel that they are enough
They don’t convey the amount of how much I love you
And that you are missed

I would love someone to send me a letter
Be it cyber or by post
It could be typed or handwritten
With a Dear and Yours Truly
I’d frame it up on my wall
So I could read it at the start of my day
And before I would lie down to sleep
To recall their words when I’m stressed or lonely
Remembering that someone is thinking about me