When Heaven was Just a Page Turn Away

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.