I Read a Book

by James A. Tweedie (January 2024)

I Read a Book

I read a book, at least I thought I did.
I read each chapter, paragraph and line.
The chief protagonist was Stan, a kid
Whose misadventures were a lot like mine.

The story drew me into places I
Had never been before. Enchanted lands
With purple clouds against a pea-green sky
And spider people with eight arms and hands.

Along with Stan, I rode on Eagle’s wings.
And sailed on storm-tossed, blood-red seas.
I crept through jungles where the Broombird sings
And felt the chill where ice-age mammoths freeze.

I thought the book had drawn me in. Instead,
It seems, it drew itself inside of me
And took up residence inside my head.
Which is, of course, where every book should be.

Words that Touch My Heart

By pen and ink a sonnet may appear
To frame a thought that stimulates my mind.
But words that touch my heart, I often find,
Were written not with ink but with a tear.

Tears

Now fallen from your grace
I drift in loneliness
An iceberg in the sea
Awaiting my demise
Dissolving into tears
For only tears remain
Swept off to far-off lands
By currents running deep.
Perhaps some distant shore
Soft-kissed by whispered waves
Will gather all my tears
And lift them to the sky
Where golden shadowed clouds
A-blush with sunset’s kiss
Will send a gentle rain
And weep my tears again.

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James A. Tweedie has lived in the United States, Scotland, and Australia, and is presently in Washington State. To date, he has published six novels, three collections of poetry, and one collection of short stories. His stories have appeared in regional and national anthologies both online and in print while his poetry has been featured nationally and internationally. James’ prose has been recognized with two Silver Awards from Writers of Tomorrow and a First-Place prize in the inaugural Edinburgh Festival Flash Fiction Contest. His poetry has earned him a Laureate’s Choice Award in the 2021 Maria W. Faust Sonnet Contest, Winner in the 2022 100 Days of Dante Poetry Contest, First Place in the 2021 Society of Classical Poets International Poetry Competition, and the Quarterly Prize for Best Poem from The Lyric.

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