Dear Henry Van Dyke (and a few other rare old writers/poets)

Books that touch me/move me as often and deeply as the one beloware far and few between! Thank-you Henry! You are my friend though you were gone long before I was bornAnd we have never met, save in words penned in days of yornYou move me still, where once your quill traversed a barren pageTo leave behind kind fellowship for folk of future ageTo touch us in those places time cannot affect, it seemsNo matter how it chases generations through its schemes/dreams I love you, though to tell you is a joy deferred and weighedIn a balance that tips toward a door none can evadeTill then I'll taste thy turn of phrase with slow and sheer amourTo think that ink can keep alive what death cannot devourTo touch us with affections Time cannot thwart by its tollAs you arouse reflections in rivers poured from your soul You make me smile and weep and laugh and sigh in sweet surpriseYou steal my breath; earth moves beneath its motionless disguiseOh, how I wish that I could shake the hand that shaped the thoughtThat gently cheers an afternoon, soon otherwise forgotYou touch me as if we were just a fireside apartSharing a glimpse of heaven as we commune, heart to heart © Janet Martin Below are a few examples why I love this writer so much!