The Cathedral
For the love of books.
Cathedrals arise, lives ever stored.
Mazes of tomes on the shelves
Binders of time, stories unfold,
feathered leaf’s, the universe records.
*
My heart is thirsty for love unbound.
Reading from dawn to dusk.
She exists, I know, somewhere in time.
I’m content, alone, until she is found.
*
On the fifth row back, three shelves high
A woman’s voice, unseen, has cried.
A leather-bound book, marked ten decades old.
Whispered my name; I had to comply.
*
The silken smooth cover touched my hands.
With heart aflutter, breathing stuttered,
Had my eternal quest found the one?
Or forevermore, love be damned.
*
Turning the pages, I slipped to the floor.
Her timbre, deep in my memory,
Threaded through words, her heavenly voice.
I know, I know, know who you are.
*
Mystical invites from the book, I assuage.
Strands and clamorings of true love.
Her inner voice foraged my heart.
I ignored the world, our souls engaged.
*
We dined, danced free, and strolled about town,
Her papyrus scent filled my mind.
We laughed, kissed free, converged ever close.
I bestowed to my queen a crown.
*
Priestly watchers broke the grand spell.
Our basilica would soon close.
Until tomorrow, my beautiful dove,
I will read again, my sweet love.
*** *** *** *** ***
About the Creator
J. S. Wade
Since reading Tolkien in Middle school, I have been fascinated with creating, reading, and hearing art through story’s and music. I am a perpetual student of writing and life.
J. S. Wade owns all work contained here.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Comments (36)
fav place!
I could smell this. ☺️ Libraries and bookstores will always be my favorite indoor places.
Congratulations! Love the ending lines, and it's so relatable. Great job!
Bravo
It is really like that when you find the one❤️ That book that connects to your soul and helps you enter another world. Beautifully written ❤️ Congratulations on your top story ❤️
You know I love all things books and literature. I love the way your poem combines the thrill of being amongst troves of books and also finding "the one". I had a hard time choosing my favorite line, so I'm picking two: "Her inner voice foraged my heart." and "Her papyrus scent filled my mind." Congratulations on a well deserved Top Story!
The imagery here is amazing! Liked this alot!
Congrats on the well deserved TS
Oh this was gorgeous!! I am in love with this line, 'Her papyrus scent filled my mind'. Really beautiful work, Scott!! Congratulations on Top Story :)
“I know, I know, I know who you are” Chills! This was so warm and enchanting Scott, congrats on top story 🥰
Absolutely stunning!!! Excellent job here. Storytelling in art form. Congratulations my friend!
Nice piece ❤️congratulations on the Top Story🎉✨
Such a beautiful poem to the stories and characters we find between the pages of a book, though my interpretation was a bit meta. If every life is a book, then we must make our own worth reading. That way whoever reads it will find what they were looking for :). Congratulations on your Top Story.
There is a fine music that flows through these words. So beautiful
Congratulations, Scott!! ❤️❤️
I love a love poem to reading! Made me smile. Thanks so much for sharing.
WOW! This was so beautifully done, Scott! Captivating! I had chills. Going back in for another read. Congrats on Top Story!
Congratulations on your Too Story
Mesmerizing! Just fantastic, Scott!
Fantastic imagery. Well done sir!
Amazing how this builds to a point of pure satisfaction! Great effect!
Goodness. How wonderfully full of heart!❤
Wow… this was stunning, Scott!
This was incredible I had to reread this again to appreciate all the wonderful lines
I luv how you put this together, the cathedral like a sanctuary for books and the book itself a living thing.