The writing theme was "who you really are." A story came out, fiction rooted in fact.
1. Conversation with a stranger
Well worn jeans,
a plaid flannel hiding a black t-shirt
faded ballcap on his salt and pepper hair,
He came over to where she was sitting
and asked if she was a writer.
Well, I like to write,
But it's mainly for me.
Ah, then you are a writer, he said.
I guess if you put it that way,
I am.
Do you want to sit down?
If I do, will you ask me my life story?
Only if you want to tell it, she smiled.
He pulled out the chair,
Put his backpack on the ground
What do you want to know?
It can begin that simply
with a few questions, answers, and smiles
What happens next
depends on what you hear
What you say
What you ask
And what you decide to hold back.
2. Thinking back
Later she thought about that place
that moment
When she looked up and saw him standing there
When he asked her that question
"Are you a writer?"
She had always known she was,
But no one had ever asked her
And if they commented about her writing
it was usually in a way
that made her either pull back
or feel like she had to defend herself.
"Are you a writer?"
Yes.
And I am still writing
because of a man I met once
who trusted me enough
to tell me his story,
In return he gave me the gift of
acknowledgment
that yes,
I am a writer.
He showed me that
validation can come
in the most unexpected way
at the most unexpected time,
The more unexpected, the more special it is.
3.
Writing is who I am.
It's what I do
It's how I tell my story
It's how i bear my pain
It's how I heal, recover, live, laugh, love.
I
am
a
writer.
