Stories we tell,
l
ayers of history, beliefs,
built by stories
handed down from one to another.
Pebbles in the path, precisely placed,
inform the direction the path will take,
causing some to turn,
some to turn about,
clearing along the way.
Some follow the path, never deviating
except to climb the occasional boulder,
while some prefer to walk around,
learning different lessons.
For each, the other road becomes
the story
in the story.
Choice creates the landscape,
the background, the narrative
of both paths.
Taken and not.
Stories we tell get passed on
to those who sit greedily at
the feet of the storyteller,
wanting to know about the paths, the choices,
while imagining a path of their own and the stories
they will someday tell.
Sherri Walker for the Poplar Grove Muse
March 12, 2018