Massaging Truth

By Kevin D. Cordi

June 18, 2011

*The idea of this story comes from an old folktale where truth meets story.  In this story, truth takes company with another. 

His wife screamed when he saw her husband Truth walk out the door.

“Where are you going in that condition?”

“I have much to share, much to share.  Little time to do it in.   I must make haste honey, I will see you when the sun sets and the moon wakes.”

“But dear, you are naked as the day you were born.”

“What is wrong with that?  As you note, I am as I arrived.   There can be no harm in that.”

“People are not ready to see you without a stitch, remember what happened to that Emperor that paraded the street with nothing on.”

“They laughed at him, I do recall.  But this is different, I am not marching and telling others I am fully clothed when I am not.”

“But dear, some people are not ready for the truth.”

“What is there to be ready for, they need to know?”

“Is  that true dear?  Did the Queen from long ago need to know she was not the fairest?  Look at what happened to her stepdaughter.   This would never have occurred if that awful mirror did not share what was known.”

“But dear, I can not lie.  It is not in my nature.”

“Honey, before you go out, wear this multicolor coat.   See the rich colors , they will help sharpen what you have to say.”

“Are you sure? I am not sure it is right.”

“Dear, was it wrong for that young girl with the slipper to hold back the truth from her step sisters.    Imagine the fate that would befall her if her words revealed her.”

“But dear, whatever should I do, my calling is to tell what is?
“ But honey, why is it your truth?   I am sure that stepsister believes that she was doing what she thought was wrong even though it hurt others.   Or that giant who squashed the town just a fortnight ago, I am sure that he believed his truth was the only truth.  Should we not be open to all the truths we can find so we can possibly learn what to do?

“But D, I am taken to the time young Pandora opened the box of evils, there was only one truth that would have been better and that would have been to listen to the voice that said don’t open the box.”

His wife placed his arm around his neck and softly kissed Truth’s lips.   I can’t say her nightgown was not slightly ajar as she whispered in his ears.  He smiled.   She knew she had him but did not know for how long.

After all, when Truth marries Deception no one can predict the outcome or even the next direction.

That is, until the affair with Parable, but we have been asked not to speak of this.

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Kids need our help as they find their storytelling voice.

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  Sometimes I hear storytellers “borrow” a tale without credit or simply not know credit should be provided when telling certain kinds of stories.   Sometimes, I need a reminder that in order to tell this folktale, personal tale, and/or original tale I need to do a mental ‘check in’ to see if the tale should be told by me.  This is not to say it can not, but it is to say, it requires time, dedication and care when deciding.  A story is a gift.   Has it been given?  Does it need to travel?  How do we know the answers to these questions?  This questions should be considered before sharing the gift of certain stories.

Below is a poem that I wrote to remind me that some stories can be told and some stories should not be told without doing the required   homework or securing permissions.

You can’t catch this story.

 (For Tersi Bendiburg who reminded me that some stories are not always meant to be caught.)

By Kevin D. Cordi

January 13, 2011

Here is the windup, here is the pitch

A story is thrown.

Wait. You can’t catch this story.

It belongs to someone else.

It is a tale that has reservation,

A Native tale for a tribe

that you have no ownership.

An African tale told in a sacred circle

A Lakota legend passed within the tribe

A Cuban recount personally rolled like a homemade cigar.

An Appalachian account told in whispers

not meant for public ears.

Another pitch is thrown, but

you can’t catch this one either.

It is a story sacred to someone’s family

A true tale about a sad ordeal

that was meant for the family.

A tale about someone:

A grandmother who survived the war.

A grandfather who worked the mines.

A brother who died of something everyone was told was something else.

A sister who secretly married the one she did not love.

The last pitch is thrown, but again this story

is not meant for you.  It is a tale that another has

written,

penned,

versed-

told.

From a published children’s tale

to a tale someone else labored to find the right words.

You don’t have permission to carry their words.

This story they hold tight to their chest,

close to their hearts.

Why would you stop their heart from hearing it?

Rest easy. This story may not be your story to tell,

but others freely throw out their stories.

Waiting for them to be caught.

Tell these stories.   Share them with the rooftops and

short stops.  Let them travel because they desire it.

Tell your family tale that you know so well.

Share a folktale that the culture has said let soar.

Let travel words meant for children that you wrote

so others can hear.

This is your heart tale that beats with each word.

Let the words soar, like a fastball seeking home plate.

Be the pitcher who knows how to hold these stories

and let them go.

Here is the wind up, here is the pitch

Don’t let these stories slip from your grip.

Remember,

Let them go and be close to your heart when you hear them.

*For those who would like this poem to travel, I give permission for this to be shared but please share the author as well as the site when you do.

Thank you for your care and artistry when telling stories.

Kevin D. Cordi

www.kevincordi.com

 ”Together we make a difference with stories.”

*Note: This poem was inspired by this poem “Story Catching” read it at http://kevincordi.com/blog/2011/02/catching-stories-a-poem/

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The Artist’s Commitment

I promise to always remember my power, love, and intelligence as an artist,

and the vital role that artists have played in every culture and time.

I will never again invalidate any artist,

including myself, or any work of art, but rather ally myself with all artists to end our economic oppression,

and enthusiastically encourage the creativity of every human.

 Rational Island Publishers developed by the Re-evaluation Co-counseling Community

The next person to speak to this is noted storyteller, author and coach Jay O’Callahan. 

Jay O’Callahan has performed with acclaim at Lincoln Center, at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin and other theatres around the world, at the Olympics, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and on National Public Radio. Time Magazine has called his work “genius.” NASA commissioned Mr. O’Callahan to create and perform a story to celebrate NASA’s 50th anniversary. He Performed the resulting work, Forged in the Stars at space centers across the country, in Cape Town, South Africa For the International Astronautical Congress, and in New Zealand. Michael Eastwood from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory said, “O’Callahan captured the soaring human spirit of our work.” Forged in the Stars was also broadcast nationally on PRI’s Living on Earth.

The National Endowment of the Arts awarded Jay a fellowship for solo performance excellence. In addition he has received awards for his performances, books, CDs and DVDs from the National Education Film Festival, Fund for U.S. Artists at International Festivals, Parents’Choice, NAPPA, New England Theater Conference and UNESCO. He leads creativity workshops for corporations, universities, law firms and private groups. www.ocallahan.com

On a personal note, I have known the work of Jay before I knew Jay.  It is hard to say what happens when Jay is working.  He knows the value of silence before sound so that sound is poignant.  He treats each performance with extra care so that he can be ready for the invitation of story.  Most of all, he is reflective not only of his work but really listens to others.  He knows the inherent value of always building from  where you are now and where you can be.  Most of all, he does all this with care and passion.  He is attuned to the story, audience,and the tale.   He is a true testament of what it means to be fully involved in the work of the telling and the joy that comes from when  you know it is done well.

Jay’s words:

Storytelling has been the work of my life. An artist explores life in any way that he or she can. My gift is creating stories to tell. That means I use sound, gestures, silence, movement, dance, song, all to create images and characters and scenes. When I was beginning I read one of the Noh Masters in Japanese theater who said he would rise each morning and work on a gesture. I admired the sense of commitment and have tried to follow suit. Each work is a new world and I stay with it until the story seems to be whole, and that can take a commitment of two or three years. So I’ve stayed with it and it’s been a great gift.

Feel free to leave a comment for others to read or send me your response to Jay’s message or your own commitment as an artist.

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I

The Artist’s Commitment

I promise to always remember
my power, love, and intelligence
as an artist,
and the vital role that artists have played
in every culture and time.
I will never again invalidate any artist,
including myself, or any work of art,
but rather ally myself with all artists
to end our economic oppression, and
enthusiastically encourage the creativity
of every human.

Rational Island Publishers
developed by the Re-evaluation Co-counseling Community

The next artist to weigh in on this commitment is well known professional storyteller and author Rafe Martin.

Rafe was born in a snowstorm in New York City in 1946, after a hurricane destroyed the Air Force Base in the Everglades where his father was stationed after returning from overseas. Perhaps, Rafe muses, the shift from sunny, tropical, pre-natal dreams to the shock of darkness and snow is what launched him into a lifetime of dreaming and imagining. He spent much of his childhood up in treetops with a good story at hand. In sixth grade he discovered Moby Dick, and read it over and over; this led, years later, to his becoming the first student to graduate with Highest Honors in English from Harpur College (now Binghamton University), for his thesis on that book.

With an M.A. in English Literature and trained as a literary critic, Rafe left academia in 1969 and held a variety of odd jobs ranging from construction worker to substitute teacher. In 1974 he and his wife opened a bookstore, and in 1982 he became the first storyteller-in-residence for the Rochester City Schools.

Rafe’s first book was published in 1984. Twenty others have followed since, with more appearing every year. Besides being an award-winning author, Rafe is also an internationally known storyteller; he has spoken or performed in nearly every state, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as in the International Schools of Japan.

On a personal note: I met Rafe years ago at East Tennessee State University.  Rafe handles words carefully and with his well told tales can freeze time.  Better yet, he can suspend time to take you the place of the stories he is sharing.   This craft and skill seems to be done at ease, but from  taking workshops with Rafe and talking with him, he spends a great deal of energy and contemplation around how a story should be shared.  Even in casual conversation, Rafe invites me to think of what I say and the best way to share it.   I value the rich learning that I have received from Rafe.  He is truly values the gift and enrichment that comes from a lifetime of storytelling study.

My Commitment as an Artist

Rafe Martin

www.rafemartin.com

My commitment as an artist is to let myself know nothing, (or at least less and less), so as to be available to be grabbed by an idea, a color, a character, an image, a brush stroke, a word, a phrase, a narrative pattern. And then to obsessively mine into it past the point of disaster, and come out the other side with something that can walk away from me and live on its own. And I will do my best to not cry when it does not say goodbye or call or write or visit. And then also do my best to get paid decently (and have a contract, and go after any organization, person, etc. who does not pay properly) for the privilege of it all, and to keep growing into work that still grabs me, without hacking out and repeating the same stuff again and again, just because it made (makes) money in the past, unless I’m simply fascinated with the process, theme, image, etc. and cannot let it go. In short, I promise to have the courage to go where the vision leads. And when it comes to storytelling, my commitment is only tell stories I really care about. No ifs, ands, buts.  And finally, when the well is dry, to stop. Just stop. And have the patience and courage (are they different?) to see what comes next. Or might come next. Or will.

So that’s my commitment in a nutshell.  Cheers! Now, back to work.

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