Daniel Wicks’ poem, A Voice to Tell Stories  capture how a family’s stories are not only an integral component of a young child’s learning, they keep the family’s history alive.  Share this poem with your school community and invite community members in to share their stories of times gone by.  Use the stories as anchors for class discussions and shared writing.

A Voice to Tell Stories

Remembering when I wanted so badly

to have something to say

to have someone to listen to me

like they listened to my Uncle Scott

how his stories made everyone laugh

how everyone listened to my Grandpa

how his stories reminded everyone of the past

how I would listen to my Mom

how her stories would lull me to sleep

how I would listen to my Dad

he gave me someone I’d like to be

I wanted a voice to tell stories

but my voice was quiet and shy

I didn’t know too many stories

so I would make them up sometimes

I tried to mimic my Uncle’s stories

but they didn’t laugh the same way

I tried my hand at Grandpa’s stories

but they lacked history

I even tried my Mom’s stories

but I forgot them halfway through

and when I tried my Dad’s stories

he said, How ’bout a story about you?”

I learned that the best stories to tell

aren’t copied at all

if you’re patient you’ll have dozens

and a voice to speak as well

I’ve been taught ‘bout storytelling

it makes me who I am

my stories sound like my Uncle’s,

my Grandpa’s, Mom’s and Dad’s

my inflections come from them

some jokes I’ve borrowed just for laughs

and someday soon my son’s Jibreel’s stories

will sound like his old man’s.

Daniel Wicks, Bermuda 2010

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