What a profound title… or not. This has always been my favorite of my poems. Although vague, it has always been very personal to me. But then again, most poets have those special selections, right? It just so happens that other people have always liked this poem as well. I’m not saying this to brag- just making a statement. Of course, I’ve always felt nobody really got it. That’s the thing about poetry: no matter how much one analyzes and dissects the poor creature, nobody will ever really know what the poem is unless the reader can go back in time to the moment of the poem’s conception and get inside the head and heart of the artist. Since, to my knowledge, that remains impossible, our poems remain always a bit of a secret. I like that.
The Book
Should my heart be an open book,
for everyone to see?
My chapters are long,
and hard to read.
My pages barely touched,
yet yellowed and delicate,
tattered and torn.
If walls could talk,
what would my heart chambers speak?
Read my forgotten book.
These walls and barriers do fall down…
one
by
one.
It is purely a mental game,
in which my feelings play.
The book is open,
but not plain to read.
To see me, one must
read between the lines.
I swear I am there,
deep
down… somewhere.
Read me. Find me.
Join the story.
Become a part of me.
If you do, it will be seen,
somewhere in this book.
The book…
It is me.
–Terree L. Klaes—
1997