Love, The Readers

When I turned 9
I knocked at every wardrobe door
Closed my eyes and believed that
Someday, I’d live the adventure
Someday, I’d fight the evil queen and win
Someday, I’d live the words beyond the story
But no wardrobe ever led to Narnia

When I turned 11
I patiently waited for my Hogwarts letter
For Hagrid to burst through the door
And guide the way to a magical world
A world where being odd was ordinary
A world that could be changed 
But no letter ever arrived

When I turned 13
I kept looking out of my bedroom window
Longing for a handsome stranger to take my hand
And lead me towards love in a fairy tale world
The kind of love that gives you butterflies
The kind of love I had read all about in all those stories
But when I turned 15 I still waited for my first kiss 

When I turned 16
The books stood untouched on their shelves
No more fairy tale worlds to escape to
No more waiting
No more believing
Just the cold, hard rain
Washing away the very last glimmer of those stories

Because eventually, you have to stop dreaming
You have to start living
Be realistic – words that stung like knives
Read something smart – cause not all stories are
Stop living inside your head – cause that’s what stories are

But who taught me kindness if not Winnie The Pooh
Who taught me to be curious if not Alice in her Wonderland
Who taught me to be smart if not Matilda
Stories are what make us dream and fly and go above and beyond
They make us feel magic, friendship and love

We leave stories with a sense of longing
A sense of waiting
A sense of believing
In the cold, hard rain
Because stories don’t just wash away

Love,
The Readers

Rahel Sarah Wirz (1997) grew up in a village in Switzerland. She completed her bachelor’s degree in German language and literature as well as film studies at the University of Zurich in 2021. She now works full-time in journalism and is currently writing a young adult book series.