Lessons from Raymond, the homeless man 

Who helped prepare me for the road.

To view previous lessons, find my playlist entitled: Raymond Lessons.

Lesson 10: Keep writing. Tell a story. Disappear.

This one surprised me.

It came in the days that followed.

Raymond had given me 2 books,

One deep, the other bubble gum.

Couldn't get past page 40 in the latter.

Couldn’t put down the former.

The author of the latter 

Was all over.

But I could not find a single word

About the author of the former,

It was published in 1939,

And the writer had disappeared from history

To spite the fact that his book

Was one of the most meaningful, 

Well-written, and moving stories I’ve ever read.

And in those two books, Raymond’s message 

Came through crystal clear:

Tell a story. Tell it well.

Move the people,

And then disappear.

Don’t try to be great.

Just try to tell a good story.

It’s enough.