a storytelling species
trying to make sense of our world
forging connections, seeking meaning
each of us needing to feel heard

to feel that our lives matter
that we weren’t just born to die
to believe we’re here for a purpose
that we were placed on this earth to find

the stories we tell shape the future
create visions of what life could be
give birth to innovation
broaden the horizons of what we can see

our stories can pave a way to heaven
they can drag us, screaming, to hell
bind us as tribes to a greater ‘us’
and pit us in battle against ‘them’

our stories can make the difference
‘tween finding hope and succumbing to despair
can turn our tragedies into triumphs
create dreams from out of nightmares

each one of us is a storyteller
our lives the canvas on which we paint
preserved on the walls of ancient caves
on facebook walls that we daily narrate

and when the books of our lives are closed
when our bodies are mere bones and dust
our stories are left behind us, inscribed
in the hearts of those that we loved