The Gift of Story (for Saundra)

Storyteller, you saw no mystery

without its clues, no myth

without its faith, no fable

without its animals, and

no refrain without its song

Storyteller, you heard no legend

without its hero, no fairy tale

without its magic, no folktale

without its home, and no parable

without its simple allegory

Storyteller, you touched no heart

without its personal story, no

personal story without its bones.

no bones without their hearts

and no hearts without their truth

Storyteller, you shared pain

and its transformation, power

and its performance, love

and its insight, your practice

and your permission to write.

On Labor Day weekend at Pendle Hill, I participated in a storytelling workshop with the great artist Saundra Gilliard.  Called "What's Your Story? Uncover Hidden Stories from your Life's Experiences,"  the workshop helped us all to see the stories we tell ourselves and it showed us how to transform them.  Saundra amazingly led all 18 of us to tell two stories each within the 8 hours of workshop: one based on the plot line of an Aesop's fable and another that was personal.  Truth, trust and Saundra make for one incredible experience!  This catalog poem is one in a series of thank you poems, and I posted it in the pantry at Poets United "Poetry Pantry - #113."

  Copyright © 2012 S.L.Chast