When Heaven was Just a Page Turn Away - Nishka Bijumalla (Oswego East High School, Twelfth Grade)
My fingers run along the spine,
pages crisp, waiting —
a soft breath before the plunge.
With one turn, the world shifts
and I am pulled beyond the margins.
I could be a princess,
graceful yet fierce,
weaving my own fairytale,
destiny in my hands.
I could be a pirate,
salty wind sharp against my skin,
mapping paths to uncharted lands,
the thrill of danger in every wave.
I could be a detective,
eyes sharp as daggers,
uncovering mysteries hidden in the dark.
The pages hum with new worlds,
each one a landscape carved by childhood dreams.
Magic lingers in every corner,
each chapter a portal to the unknown,
where the ordinary becomes something more —
a city of glowing towers and streets that pulse with light,
a kingdom crowned in gold, its castles burning like the sun,
a desert where every grain of sand hides a secret.
But even the brightest of worlds must fade.
The colors soften,
the echoes grow faint.
Worlds slip between my fingers,
like falling stars vanishing in the dark.
The book closes —
and the spell is broken.
The dream of escape is no longer my refuge,
fading into distant childhood memories,
when heaven was just a page turn away.