Creative Results!

Culture is but a Story

by Michael Prinzinger

(University of Erlangen-Nuernberg)

culture is but a story, that we write,
everyday life on the anvil we smite.
we want our story to be big and exciting
and as impressive as thunder and lightning.

yet our own story is too small,
thus for bigger ones we call.
for friends, groups, nation we look for,
to be part of their story we come for.

feeding our souls with illusion,
trying to make us content in mass convolution,
we must not forget who we were,
must not forget for what we care.

cause not we alone write our stories,
every human being has the same worries. only if of those other stories we are aware
a peaceful together can be found there.

if to awake one day we dare
and through the window of our soul we'd glare
all those stories would be vain
and hand in hand we would sustain.

Michael's poem was inspired in part by the theme of the 2006 annual workshop held at the University of Erlangen-Nuernberg. The OICD wishes Michael a happy and productive student career in the deparment of Japanese Studies, and thanks him for such a lovely contribution!

The Organisation for Intra-Cultural Development (OICD)