A Tale of all Tales

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A poem inspired by a book titled ‘Around the World in Eighty Trees‘ by Jonathan Drori. Apart from the science, it was fascinating to learn how entwined these trees were and are with human lives. These stories go way back in time, a myriad of science, religion, romance, loss, life and so much more! As I progressed through my read…it struck me as to how stories have the ability to transform possibly mundane or complex topics to such interesting, relatable and memorable bits of knowledge. Thus arose the question, What are stories?… What is the power of a story, its origin, its creation, its purpose? So here are my musings after a lot of meandering….A Tale of all Tales 🙂 

What is a story? A beginning, an end

A happening middle, as is the trend?

Is it words that speak of a time begone

Or those that are heard from the time we are born

Sights we span, spinning tales of their own

Songs that say all, yet stand alone

Is it what we hear? Is it what we tell?

Is it what we keep, for only us to revel?

Does it make us laugh, cry or scream

Think, wonder, absorb or dream

In pages, screens, verses and lore

In trees and hills, waves and so much more

In places near and places afar

Each moment a story, novelties in a jar

Of peace, war, riches and dare

Of feeling, thoughts, kindness and care

Of ambition, valor, power and greed

Of harmony, love, abundance and need

In eyes, in smiles, in tears, in voice

In words, deeds, in silence and in noise

In touch, in smell, in whispers of the wind

Some real, some pretend, but deep within

A need to create, a need to relate

A need to linger, or rush through in haste

Stories big and stories small,

Listened, lived, untold or beyond recall

Fragments in time, strewn all around

Weaving a tale, many heard, many drowned

Picked up by strangers, aware and not

In mind and heart, sayings of their own or bought

To regale a tale, the wisdom and truth

To absorb a tale, experience and muse

To preserve a tale, mundane or clever

To be a tale, from then on, forever.