I love books, always have it seems
And I have a great many books
I have fifty feet of shelving all full of books
And most I have perused, if not read more completely

I even have a few books set aside
Probably heard a good review, or the blurb just caught my eye
Those will be surprises, little presents to myself
For when I need a change of pace

I was dyslexic in my youth, a thing not well understood
Though my comprehension and retention were well above the norm
My speed, well, let’s just say a comic book would take hours
But through persistence, wow, it might only take a half hour now

What turned my reading life around was my son’s education
As he grew he read all those classics I had never read
Surly you have read this book, he would say, tell me your impressions
What could I say, wait a while till I catch up with you

And so I forced myself
One large set of books had a reading plan for grade school kids
That’s where I began and, within a year, the dread of reading disappeared
My speed too improved, but not so fast as my reading satisfaction

I’ve been retired now for several years, nothing pressing on my time
Reading has been the greatest comfort of this new life of mine
New horizons, new things to think about, to share with my now grown son
And now, dear son, thank you for that gift that only you could have given