The World Read Aloud Day
By Lesley, from Kenya, a LitWorld Friend, Poet and Librarian

I hear the echo of a voice, reading aloud to the nations,
I listen to the story and what a story it is,
The story carries my mind and memory to far flung places,
But then
I realize I have had a journey of the mind and for a moment
I forget about my environment and all my challenges in life.

I hear the echo of a voice, reading aloud to the nations,
I want to know why the voice reads aloud to the nations,
I am told it’s the worlds read aloud day.

I hear the echo of a voice, reading aloud to the nations
It mingles with the tweet of the singing birds, for a morning
Wake up call, for it’s just but morning,
The sun is just but rising, but the voice still goes on and strong,
The story carries with it the tells of literacy to the world, that the young
In the world can grow with strong minds of understanding and knowledge for life.

I hear the echo of a voice, reading aloud to the nations,
I listen to the story and what a story it is,
The sweet voice mingle with various other voices of nature,
The birds chirping, the sun rising, the wind blowing, the trees swaying,
The waves rising and the plains soaring with life.

Then I realize it’s not only, a voice reading aloud to the nations,
But its voices reading, all over the world, and finally,
The sun has gone down, its night and the bats are flying by,
I then continue to hear many other voices read aloud to,
The children into the deep of the night making it full of life.

Lesley is a guest reader via Video Chat this year on World Read Aloud Day. You can read his bio here.