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| Day 13 of 31 at Two Writing Teachers! |
I feel like I've stepped into a mythical forest paradise: the book forest. Lightfooted and sharp-eyed, I am a book forest native. With my senses extra-alert, I weave through the bookshelf tree trunks with expert ease, slipping between branches on well-worn paths that would go unnoticed by outsiders. Towering around me, the tropical forest layers beckon with enticing fruits. Fallen snippets of delicate poetry lie scattered along the forest floor, and dense non-fiction forms the understory. Myriad stories intertwine to create the canopy: rich, colorful, and full of life. Huge giants reaching toward the sky, classics and new favorites periodically stand tall in the emergent layer.
I could lose myself in the forest for hours without ever really being lost. Tasting new fruits, gathering favorite plants, and observing the forest life, I feel completely at home and yet filled with constant discovery. This is what I want for my students, whether they are forest natives like me or wide-eyed new explorers.
Love the metaphor, especially the line "myriad stories intertwine to create the canopy: rich, colorful, and full of life." Definitely the promise fulfilled of being in the bookstore forest!
ReplyDeleteI think we're from the same native country. :)
ReplyDeleteThis must have been so fun to write, because it was so fun to read. You have a talent for creating a picture with words. I love to visit your forest and I hope your kids get lost in the forest with you.
ReplyDeletei like your line, "as if they are filling with magical healing air"
ReplyDeleteI like how you pushed yourself creatively. Thanks for the metaphor...it was fun to read.
ReplyDeleteRuth
Terrific follow-up to yesterday's post, Jennifer. I wonder if that used bookstore would like an enlarged copy of this beautiful 'book forest'? Maybe illustrated? It's wonderful. Ah-h books!
ReplyDeleteI love: I start to walk with the happy bounce of my childhood self. That is exactly how I feel in a book store too. Way to challenge yourself and create a slice full of feeling and description.
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