I was leafing through my multitudes of computer files and stumbled upon a lengthy discourse by Richard Peck. I loved this poem he ended with.

by Richard Peck

A story is a doorway
That opens on a wider place;
A story is a mirror
To reflect the reader’s face.

A story is a question
You hadn’t thought to ponder;
A story is a pathway,
Inviting you to wander.

A story is a window
A story is a key
A story is a lighthouse,
Beaming out to sea.

A story’s a beginning,
A story is an end,
And in the story’s middle…You might just find a friend.