Still Proud To Be A Slow Reader Poem by Jim Yerman

I am an avid reader now, but when I was younger…years ago
In school my teacher admonished me because I read so slow.

It was there and then I learned words have the power to make one feel small
because for a long time after she said that…I didn't like to read at all.

But as I grew I began to look at reading through a wiser set of eyes.
I saw how reading slowly…rather than a handicap…is a blessing in disguise.

When I open a book I never know what adventure is waiting there for me
It might be a drama…a comedy…a mystery…or perhaps a little of all three.

I Immediately embark on a journey in the author's capable hands
where each page becomes a stepping stone into another land.

Once I turn to the first page…the adventure doth begin
and from the comfort of my bed I visit places I've never been

I can journey to exotic sites, witness untold beauty so sublime...
It's even possible in a book to go traveling through time!

I can help solve a difficult crime, know what's lingering behind that door
I can feel the joy of love as it emerges…or the horrors of a war.

Which brings me back to reading slowly…
As I journey from the present, to the future…and into and out of the past,
from one world to the next…why would I want to travel fast?

No, I prefer to take my time…so now my reading follows this simple plan
I slowly enter into a book and…if I love it…I linger there as long as I can.

So to that teacher who all those years ago, wished my reading skills were stronger….
know that I am happy reading slowly…because the joy lasts that much longer.

And to all you other slow readers out there…never feel self-conscious…never think it's something you should hide…
because slowly experiencing every moment…in a book…as in life
is the best way to enjoy the ride.