Books Of Passion Poem by Kenneth Maswabi

I have read so many books
Some were made of uncanny characters
Others stood out on the shelves of life
While the rest were forced through my throat
I remember the book of calculus
It was a gigantic book of unprecedented numbers
Every equation was a terrible headache
Every answer was a celebration of perseverance
I remember romance novels
The lush hills and the seductive lover
The Pandora's box and the lipsticks
I remember the espionage spy books
Jason Bourne and full on conspiracies
It was the time of my youth
And all I wanted to be was a spy
To look through shadows
And sift through secrets
I wanted to be like James Bond
And introduce myself as "James, James Bond"
That's a long time ago
A time of careless desires
I remember the smell of chemicals
Inside my chemistry books
This was a chain reaction
That spilled into my life
Now, I am a chemist of the spirit
My book is the fabric of existence
My chemistry is Silence
My books of passion are made up of poetry lines
Every line is like an addictive substance
Every word reveals deep secrets from my heart
These books of passion are sometimes a few lines
Or a whole page - very potent
Sometimes I am intoxicated by just one line
This is the joy of poetry
Poetry is not a book
It is the whole universe
Distilled and poured into one taste bud
It is the substance of ecstasy
Poetry is not only the source of madness
It is a source of hope, peace and happiness


© Kenneth Maswabi