Books to Read (before you die)

I haven’t read Catch 22

by Joseph Heller

even though I know it was

an international best seller,

while J.D. Salinger’s

Catcher in the Rye

was never interesting enough

to catch my eye.

Ulysses’ by

James Joyce

was recommended

as an educational choice.

The Old Man and the Sea

by Ernest Hemingway

was guaranteed

to darken my day.

The list of books

to read before you die

compiled by critics

whose self-esteem is sky high.

War and Peace

by Leo Tolstoy

I remember reading

as a boy,

along with Tolkien’s

Lord of the Rings

all played a part in

my adolescent cravings.

But the best books

I’ve found on my own

and over the years they keep me

company when I am alone.

Their names do not matter

for everyone has a different taste,

the important thing being

is let no book go to waste.