1. A STORY TELLER

Dear Friends!
Every night
when it gets dark
and children go to sleep
birds hide in their nests
and
the sun travels to the other world
you people come here
and sit in a circle
in front of the fireplace
under a starry sky
sipping tea
smoking your sacred pipes
asking me to tell you a story
and I
being a storyteller
who loves to tell stories
share with you
stories that I read
when I was a young boy
stories that were told to me
when I traveled to distant lands
and
stories I heard from my grandmother
stories that she had heard from her grandmother
stories that have been traveling
from one heart to another
from one generation to another
as sacred wisdom and folktales
those are the stories
created and shared by our ancestors
when there were no books and radios and televisions and
internets

I have been sharing with you
every night
stories within stories
stories born from the womb of life
stories of old and young
men and women
warriors and hunters
kings and slaves
gods and goddesses
saints and sinners
and you listen to them attentively
but when the moon hides behind the cloud
and the stars look tired
and the sacred pipes become cold
then we all go to sleep
knowing very well that
some of you will travel
the next day
to unknown destinations
and some will come back
the next night
to listen to more stories