Last summer, I heard the amazing performance poet Joel McKerrow perform live. A chance mention by a friend reminded me to listen again online which lead me to hear the wonderful poem "We Tell Stories".
The clue is in the name ... telling stories is at the heart of what we do and what we are about: so it instantly struck me that it would be a perfect thing to share with the Stories of Hope and Home participants. Reflecting on the whys and wherefore of story-telling is essential if we are to ensure our participants are making informed choices about what and how and why they share their stories, and this poem was a great vehicle for doing some of that.
I love poetry: I hope I have been able to impart some of that love to many of those I have worked and shared life with over time. Contrary to what many people think, hidden behind the barriers of "but I don't do / don't understand poetry", I believe poetry can be an incredibly accessible format for non-native speakers to explore and express themes, ideas and emotions.
So over a number of weeks, first in person, face-to-face when such things used to be allowed, and later, like the rest of the world, through the wonders of modern technology; we reflected on and explored first the great depths hidden within the original poem; then our own depths of experience as story-sharers: those who tell, and those who listen, to all the stories within and around us.
And then we wrote.
And that, became this.
* not everyone wants their name published online, but we are extremely grateful to the twenty-five people, of seventeen different nationalities, whose contributions created this piece.
The clue is in the name ... telling stories is at the heart of what we do and what we are about: so it instantly struck me that it would be a perfect thing to share with the Stories of Hope and Home participants. Reflecting on the whys and wherefore of story-telling is essential if we are to ensure our participants are making informed choices about what and how and why they share their stories, and this poem was a great vehicle for doing some of that.
I love poetry: I hope I have been able to impart some of that love to many of those I have worked and shared life with over time. Contrary to what many people think, hidden behind the barriers of "but I don't do / don't understand poetry", I believe poetry can be an incredibly accessible format for non-native speakers to explore and express themes, ideas and emotions.
So over a number of weeks, first in person, face-to-face when such things used to be allowed, and later, like the rest of the world, through the wonders of modern technology; we reflected on and explored first the great depths hidden within the original poem; then our own depths of experience as story-sharers: those who tell, and those who listen, to all the stories within and around us.
And then we wrote.
And that, became this.
We Tell our Stories
Warm hearts make my imagination dream
Depth and freedom dance
In the meaning hidden behind our words
An inspirational melody sings from the
mind to the heart
With butterflies in our stomachs
We tell stories
Unleashing thoughts awaken
Nervous tears to rain profusely
Where anger takes action
But by this urge to say it all
I feel unburdened
Of all heaviness of the heart
In the courage to transfer
joy and sorrow
anger and warmth
strength and tears
Stories give hope
As the crying of a baby breaks across
the silent day
We tell stories
With guns in our hearts firing bullets
from our lips
Or with love in our hearts pouring peace
We tell stories
Like birds watching over fledglings
taking flight from the nest
Like gracious swans calling to each
other across a clear pond
after a long journey through the cold
winter
Like the complex taste of sweet and sour
sauce
Eaten in front of a fire on a winter’s
evening
We tell stories
Daring to open our lips, our hearts
Sharing stories
Is like learning to ride a bike,
At first fearful of falling,
Confidence grows with time
And we move forwards
By our stories
Flying in the clouds
I feel on top of the world,
Go to the heights, to see the people’s
humanity
In essence, there lies a way to tread
We tell stories
They untie the chains and fly
Filled with empathy at words just heard
Engraved on my soul and repeats my
feelings
Convinced that my effected heart feels
like yours
I indulge in living their stories
They fill me up
Stories are a medicine for every hearer
And an answer to all questions
We tell stories
Other unique stories
Ask the elders about the last generation
Ask the orphans
Ask the nostalgia for the family of our
childhood
We tell stories
Ask the photographs
Ask the vague words
Ask the unfinished poem
Ask a brief biography
Ask the children
Ask the ink in their notebooks
We tell stories
Ask the trees who listen to my innermost
thoughts
Ask the river, ask the valley
Ask the wind as she follows me
Ask the singer dancing on the colourful
stage
Ask the pilgrimage and ask the pilgrim
Ask the footsteps
Ask the nights spent awake
Ask the painful shelter
Ask the heart what it feels and the mind
what it thinks and the body how it reacts
Ask the eyes
Ask the mirror
We tell stories
With prayers in our souls and liberty in
our minds
And striving in our hearts, imparting
wisdom from our lips
We tell stories
Entering in the depths of my heart
I swim in my imagination
The story of life flows on, like a
stream, without ending
We tell stories
Revealing a glimpse of the future.
* not everyone wants their name published online, but we are extremely grateful to the twenty-five people, of seventeen different nationalities, whose contributions created this piece.
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