You know the way a story
deepens as you get further in,
the way the truth—
the complex and maybe hidden truth—
of a story emerges
during the actual telling?
How, if we’re given time—
to explain,
voice concerns,
ask questions,
investigate reasons,
draw reasonable conclusions—
underlying motives,
unconscious fears,
stubborn hopes,
evidence of resilience
rise to the surface, and
we can experience
the difference between
hearing a sound bite and
learning someone’s truth.
***
Charissa Menefee is on the faculty of Iowa State University’s MFA Program in Creative Writing & Environment. A recent finalist for the Julie Harris Playwright Award, she has had work featured by the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s New American Playwrights Project, the Pandora Festival, the Herberger Theatre, Theatrics, and Women’s Work, the Tennessee Women’s Theatre Project’s annual festival.
Amygdala 
As a therapist I was delighted to read this poem, it is a wonderful expression of what the therapy process can be for anyone who decides to go on the journey
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