To all the books I've loved before, thank you. Thank you for the thousands of evenings I spent page-turning, till my eyes were drooping from the lack of sleep. You gave me story after story; the chance to meet many different characters over the course of 300+ pages. Each chapter holding new promise, new beginnings. From the stories that hooked me from the very first page to the slow burners that burned my curiosity, I've never been more grateful. Always something to gain, always something to appreciate.
Thank you for introducing me to the world beyond my own point of view. You opened my eyes to the world around me and gave me an appreciation for the milestones yet to come. That insight into someone else's life helped prepare me for the friends and people I had yet to meet. Their lives, their ambitions so different from my own, yet our core beliefs so similar. Meeting characters from all walks of life and diving deep into their lives from their perspective. Priceless.
You introduced me to a community of fiction lovers, who I could share sequel theories with and fangirl with. You helped me develop my own creativity. The ten-year-old me swore creative writing was something I'd never do, traumatised from school activities clearly. And yet the words on a page inspired me to pick up pen and paper, and write with passion. To draw fragments of imagination and bring them to life through words.
To all the books I've loved before - I'm forever indebted to you. I can't recall how many evenings I've spent reading your pages or reminiscing over characters I've long said goodbye to. As the years pass by, it's time for me to finally let you go. I'm sad to see you go - to intentionally box you up with no return to your home, my shelves. But to keep you from the hands of someone who'll appreciate you more is cruel. Why let the dust cover your spine, when I know someone else is dying to read your words? I know the next person who chooses you will get exactly what they need. A home away from home. A companion in their dark days. An escape from reality.
This is my Ode to you.
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