Letters

Reading is an escape, a guide to another world

When I need to go back in time, make changes, fix mistakes,

I pick up a book, the words flowing over me, taking me away

I travel to distant galaxies, time warp to the past and future

Lush fields of vibrant grass, dark, rolling waves crashing against a silent beach

I teleport to places in the far reaches of my imagination

New realities, anything is possible

I solve crimes, save worlds, discover powers

I ache for challenges, confrontation, and show defiance

I am an explorer, architect, leader

The words come together, forming truths unlike those I am familiar with

Where I am strong, bold, and prepared

But in the end, I’m back in my bed

Reading, always reading, the realities I see on the page just out of my grasp

The real world is corrupt, maybe ruined beyond repair

And the refuge of books is not forever …

Sasha Gogolin

Southampton

Sasha is 12 years old — Ed.