and He

He held my hand

and He told me I was beautiful

He laid his frozen fragile hand

upon mine

allowing the melancholia

to crumble

He became my shelter

my safety,

my whole

He became my soundness,

my wisdom,

my home

and He came to guide my frame

causing my eyelids

to shut

and He told me we'd do this together

two taps

from a single silver spear

to each wrist was applied

He helped me

to make my truth

fade away

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I wrote this poem with the inspiration of Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson. In her poem, Dickinson personifies Death, as did I. She also explains how death is a journey. In my poem, Death is a person and takes the writers hand to aid them on their voyage to death. As in Dickinson's poem, Death is also cold, yet a comforting and kind. There are elements of depression in this poem, largely displayed in the end when the cause of death is revealed. When “to make my truth fade away” is written, that is when the author is referencing immortality. Whether immortality is real or not is unknown to her, but the writers knows that the true life she was living has now ended forever.

Books are Home

"Books are the plane, and the train, and the road.  They are the destination, and the journey.  They are home." ~ Anna Quindlen

Life is a highway, and also a book. In Anna Quindlen's quote, she makes the notion that books are everything. Books are travel, knowledge, and most of all, home. When you read a book, you are taught. You learn, and that becomes knowledge. Novels, manuals and encyclopedias take us places, whether real or fictional, and help us to experience life. Travel involves fresh experiences, as does reading.

Books and words and stories are home, and home equals comfort. In order to become comfortable with ourselves and life, we must become cultivated. To become knowledgable, we must explore. As we explore, we are taught lessons. After being taught, we finally reach a certain level of wisdom. A sense of comfort accompanies this comprehension, which become goals.

This quote reminds me of the Tom Cochrane song, Life is a Highway. The lyrics describe life as full of twists and turns, and how life is about the travel to find yourself and your home, as Quindlen's quote does.

In relation to English, this course will prepare me for university, which is a large step in my journey that is life. Textbooks, novels and newspapers will help me get through that chapter of my life, which at the end of it, will become a goal – all with the help of books. Reading helps me to become a better, brighter person with confidence and adeptness. Books change lives. Not only do they help people figure out who they are, but they aid them in finding ease with the conclusion to that issue. Books are truly home.